Servant Leadership is a term that is hot right now in the leadership space and thrown around a lot. However, I find it quite interesting that there is a lot of confusion about what it really means. We talk about this term often and the importance of Servant Leadership. Why is servant leadership important? And what does servant leadership actually mean?
Well, by definition, servant leadership “is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organization and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.” Idealistically, all of that sounds great and wonderful, right? But, in my opinion, I think we need a clearer definition, a more, black and white definition of what this concept means. So, I believe that it means that it’s the concept that a leader put him or herself last and his or her people before himself.
Have you ever heard that quote, “If serving is beneath you, leadership is beyond you?” It’s one of my favorites and I quote it often on my social media pages. But that’s a really good basis for servant leadership. Servant leadership is the idea or mindset that flips old school ideals about leadership on it’s head. It’s telling us that we as leaders work for our people and we as leaders are to put them first. And do I believe in this concept, absolutely.
I honestly don’t use the term “Servant Leadership” because I just think it’s leadership in my opinion. But, if we look back through history, that’s not how leadership has always functioned and that’s not how we are quote on quote taught what a leader is supposed to do. We are taught that a leader is supposed to control and be powerful, and act in an authoritarian manor. We now know through evolution, research, and a lot of innovation that those techniques do not yield the best results.
When the topic of servant leadership comes up, I am often asked if I believe I am a servant leader. I know I am a servant leader because I am a leader. I do not believe in any other type of leader than a servant leader. It does not work that why I know I am one. But, I was not always a servant leader because I also know and believe in my opinion that the great Vince Lombardi said it best, “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
In my opinion, I made a million mistakes as a leader in the beginning. I talk about it all the time in the blog, on the podcast, with my teams, and interviews. It made me who I am today. One of the first mistakes I made was the mistake of control. I’ve shared this with you before. I grew up in a life and home that was absolute chaos and it was not till later that I realized this is why I felt the need as a leader to control absolutely everything. When I learned to hire, trust, and let go, that’s when I became a leader, or what you may call a servant leader. My role changed because I wasn’t controlling anyone. I released the reins and handed them over. I was like a proud parent standing back waiting to serve my team when they needed me and allowed them to run like the wind. And you know what? It worked every single time.
Fellow “leaders” would ask me with this type of style of leadership a lot of questions though. They would ask me, “Aren’t you afraid your team isn’t working nine to five?” or “Aren’t you afraid your team isn’t visiting enough clients?” The list went on with the fear. Fear is a manifestation of the need for control. I would tell them no. And the truth was, I absolutely was not. My job as their leader, their servant leader, was not to micromanage their tasks that I hired them to do and knew they were perfectly capable to do.
My job as their leader was to serve them so they could do their job successfully. If they choose not to do their job, it would become clear and then, I would not be able to serve them and we would part paths in those rare occasions. So, why would I live in that fear? I no longer needed to feel that control. You see, the interesting thing that happens when you do let go of fear, needing to control, intimidation, and all these “old” ways of authoritarian leadership, is that you actually lead more effectively. You have a better handle on things. There is no need for “control” because you’ve trusted your people and the decision is theirs and you are there to support them either way.
When you become a leader which I believe is a servant leader, you become a servant to your people. You must be ready to serve. If you are self-serving and only have goals for yourself, you will fail as a leader; that is inevitable. Becoming a servant leader is actually quite simple. You must have the mindset that your team comes first. You support them and give them the tools they need to do their job. You trust them to do the job you hired them to do. You focus on developing your people and focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses. You will empower your people to lead initiatives and take ownership.
Leaders often feel that they must be in charge of everything. They feel that they have to have a hand in everything and control everything that is going on in their department, branch, company or whatever it is that they are leading. Servant leadership teaches us that is absolutely not true. However, this is difficult, especially for new leaders to understand. Trust me, I was there too. When we relinquish power though and empower our people through listening, delegating tasks that they enjoy doing, and take on a team mindset, you as the leader learn what servant leadership truly is. You are there to support and serve your people because they are executing the tasks and work that you have trusted them to do.
