Do you have what it takes to become a servant leader?
The concept of servant leadership is centuries old. It can be traced to ancient Eastern cultures and was embodied by leaders like Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jn. and Nelson Mandela.
The concept has gained steady interest since 1971, with Robert Greenleaf’s essay titled, The Leader as Servant. Since then, leaders like Ken Blanchard, Art Barter, John C. Maxwell, and Stephen M.R. Covey have built and expanded on what servant leadership is. Many books and courses are to be found that build on this idea.
Art Barter, who now leads the Servant Leadership Institute in California, USA, came across the servant leadership model and applied it when he purchased Datron World Communications in 2004. He dismantled the traditional power-led leadership model and replaced it with the servant leadership model. The company grew from $10 million to $200 million in just 6 years. What was the secret? Happier employees became more efficient employees. He’s not the only success story out there.
Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines followed the servant leader model and as a result had over 35 years of consecutive profitability, an almost impossible achievement in the challenging airline industry. The secret? By putting employees first, he had a highly engaged, low-turnover workforce.
Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, also an example of modern-day servant leadership prioritized the well-being and development of Starbucks’ employees. This philosophy led to Starbucks’ ethical sourcing program, Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, aimed to support coffee farmers and promote environmentally friendly practices. They were leaders in their game.
There is a substantial list of servant leaders who have proven that the model works. You can read up on them – Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Henry Stewart, CEO of Happy, Cheryl Bachelder, Former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, to name but a few. The point is, when you serve your people or employees, amazing outcomes are possible.
The traditional business leader or manager is a positional leader, who derives authority from their role or position. Management is seen as a transaction – employees maintain performance in exchange for a salary. A Servant leader moves beyond the transaction to a place where they seek to align the employees’ sense of purpose with the company's mission and develop them to realize their potential and purpose. They believe people work best when they work from their strengths. They earn the respect and loyalty of the employees because the employee has been seen, heard, and valued.
What does a servant leader look like then? They serve instead of command. They show humility instead of using their position of power to control and their heart is to develop their people to unlock potential, creativity, and a sense of purpose. Their goal is to empower and uplift their people. This leads to innovation and engagement, increased retention, and decreased turnover cost. It ensures the company's longevity because there is a natural succession process. People want to stay and lead into the future.
A servant leader is not a doormat. It takes incredible strength of character to not be motivated by selfish gain, but rather by seeing others grow. When you come from a place of care and compassion and understand that your role as a leader is to help others grow, your organization can do nothing but flourish. The world needs servant leaders. Do you have what it takes?