What is Servant Leadership?
Let's start with a story:
A group of people went to the East for an expedition. Everyone in the team was very independent and willing to play a leading role. They were served by a servant named Leo, who was responsible for providing life services for everyone. His optimistic character and singing always accompany them and inspire them.
With Leo's company, this adventure tour seems to be a wonderful sightseeing tour, and everything is unexpectedly smooth. But one day, Leo suddenly disappeared. All of them tried to persuade others to follow his advice, but none of them could win others' trust.
In the end, the whole expedition was forced to stop. The people suddenly found that they had lost their leader without Leo, their servant.
- “Journey to the East” - Herman Hesse (Nobel Prize Winner in literature)
In 1970, Robert Greenleaf, the CEO of American telephone and telegraph company, inspired by the story. He first proposed the concept of servant leadership, and reveals the essence of a true about leadership: Leadership is not the basis of power, it is authority. Authority is built on love, service and sacrifice.
When a leader is willing to serve his subordinates like a servant. And be sensitive to the basic psychological needs of subordinates such as love, self-esteem and self-actualization. This gives leaders the authority and influence they need to inspire them to reach their highest personal potential. All will devote their heart, talent and creativity to a common goal.
According to Greenleaf (2003), servant leadership has the following 10 characteristics:
Listening - Servant leadership puts the other person first and is meant to reach out to people's hearts and minds to understand their thoughts and needs through listening. Listening, accompanied by constant reflection, is essential to servant leadership.
Empathy - The servant leader tries to understand and empathize with the other person. Instead of focusing on personal gains and losses, the servant leader accepts and recognizes the hard work of the other team members and appreciates it.
Healing - Healing is a powerful weapon in servant leadership: helping them navigate the difficult times of transition, restructuring, and consolidation. One of the greatest strengths of servant leadership is its ability to help others heal as well as himself. A leader who has gone through wounds and recovered is exactly what one would expect.
Awareness - Awareness, especially self-awareness, is another hallmark of the servant leader. He does not revel in past or present successes. He knows that there are times when he needs to be challenged and stirred to not be satisfied with the status quo.
Persuasion - Servant leadership is not based on authority or authority, but a way to persuade others to agree to a plan or work, rather than forcing them to do so.
Conceptualization - The servant leader dares to dream - even exaggerated dreams can become reality. Despite his / her wild imagination, he is grounded in his/ her approach to problems, and he /she is able to skillfully balance the "conceptualized" intention with the realistic context of everyday affairs, both of which are necessary.
Foresight - To err is human, and the servant leader may make mistakes, but he /she is able to constantly learn from his actions, reflect on his /her actions, and gain foresight for future behavior decisions.
Stewardship - What people are looking for in a steward is a heartfelt feeling. Servant leadership has the heart of a housekeeper, serving the members of the organization and the community in which the organization operates.
Committed to the Growth of People - Servant leadership is committed to helping each member of the organization grow, making people stronger, smarter, freer, and more autonomous.
Building Community - The servant leader does not "make a fortune"; he builds, works, and serves enduring communities.
Servant Leadership Template
Here is a Servant Leadership template created with Visual Paradigm's online strategic analysis tool. You can customize this template by modifying the text, color and font, and use it in your presentations and reports.
