Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership Definition

Servant leadership style, in organizations, is a behavioral shift within the leaders to act as a servant first. Its sole objective is to motivate them to serve as an employee towards the firm's goals rather than only a leader. In short, it is a selfless effort to put an organization's objectives ahead of oneself.

The author, Robert K. Greenleaf, coined the servant leadership style in the 1970s. This mindset acquires personal growth, commitment, and engagement among the employees. Since its origin, many organizations have already implemented it. However, other employees may take undue advantage of this behavior. Moreover, it can be a powerful approach for creating a positive organizational culture and achieving sustainable success.

• Servant leadership is a leader's behavior where they tend to consider themselves as servants and serve instead of a leader. They serve the organization first and then act as leaders. 
• The concept was developed by author Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 and published in an essay called "Servant as a Leader."
• There are various principles of servant leadership, namely listening, healing, empathy, persuasion, self-awareness, empowerment, growth, stewardship, and others. 
• However, the major limitation of this style is that the employees may take undue advantage of the leader and divert from objectives.

Servant Leadership Explained

Servant leadership theory is a proposed leadership style to act as a servant first and then as a leader. It ensures organizational goals are aligned first, following the private ones. Moreover, this behavior requires selfless service as a leader. They work towards a synergic relationship between employers and employees. Servant leaders demonstrate deep empathy and compassion for the people they lead.

Furthermore, every servant leader has an ethical rule to serve others than themselves. In short, they try to put others' needs first before considering their own. Their only intention is to serve employees and organizations for the early accomplishment of goals. Their private motives tend to get sidelined. The leaders try to unite the employees and make them feel valued for their efforts.

Author Robert Kiefner Greenleaf 1970 described servant leadership theory in the essay "The Servant as Leader." The servant leadership approach is particularly effective in organizations that value teamwork, employee engagement, and ethical leadership. It can improve employee morale, higher job satisfaction, and increase organizational performance. Instead of using authority and control, these leaders aim to persuade and collaborate. They seek input and feedback from their team and work towards consensus and collective decision-making. Thus, these leaders have a clear and compelling vision for the organization's future. Hence, they guide their team toward this vision, focusing on long-term goals and sustainability.

The foremost step towards leadership should be service, followed by power and lead. Unless the team is well-guided and valued, the outcome may stay consistent with expectations. Additionally, they must serve along with them before outcasting their leadership skills. If it happens, every member will work endlessly towards the goals.

Characteristics

To serve as a servant leader, a person should have the following key attributes:

#1 - Empathetic

Being empathetic towards the employees is necessary to be an efficient servant leader. A leader must care about their team and lend a hand wherever possible. It will make the latter feel valued. Understanding each employee and their behavior will also help in proper work delegation. As a result, the team will also work effortlessly.

#2 - Listening 

As a leader, they should hear the issues of each employee and provide feasible solutions to them. Giving attention and time to employees, listening to non-interruptive talks, and providing constructive feedback prove beneficial. It will reduce chaos within the workflow process. Also, it creates a healthy environment for them.

#3 - Healing 

During various projects, a setback or negative feedback often arises. It might cause team disagreements for lower performance. In such cases, these leaders must provide enough healing to the team members. Once healed, they can proceed and work toward the following projects. For example, a project may fail, causing demotivation among the employees. At such a point, healing and encouragement to perform better is essential.

#4 - Persuasive 

When projects arise, the team leader must persuade other members toward them. Unless a consensus is obtained, no employee will dedicate efforts to it. The next steps can be applied as the team agrees with the process. They must develop a polite tone for persuading others.

#5 - Self-awareness

Besides other servant leadership attributes, every leader must recognize their strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness about oneself can help leaders accept, grow, and upgrade themselves.

#6 - Stewardship

Servant leaders see themselves as stewards of their organization's mission and resources. They take responsibility for the organization's well-being and work to leave a positive legacy.

#7 - Commitment To Growth

These leaders are dedicated to their team members' personal and professional growth. They provide coaching, mentorship, and opportunities for skill development.

#8 - Building Community

They foster a sense of community and unity within their teams or organizations. They create a supportive culture that encourages collaboration, trust, and a shared sense of purpose.

Examples

Let us look at the examples of servant leadership for a better understanding of the concept:

Example #1

Suppose Clayes is a senior sales manager in a reputed firm. As a leader, he has a team of 8 employees working under him. He does not consider himself a leader but an equivalent employee. As a result, he puts in comparable efforts as his team and strives for success. However, at one point, the advertisement released a few months back was a failure. As a result, the entire sales team felt demotivated. At this point, Clayes applied servant leadership principles and encouraged them to improve. In the coming months, the team was able to make a good advertisement. 

Hence, in this hypothetical example, the servant leader's approach fosters a positive, inclusive, and highly motivated workforce, resulting in increased organizational success and employee satisfaction.

Example #2

Recent studies from the University at Buffalo School of Management show that an average rise in servant leadership can significantly impact an organization's income. According to a 2023 statistical report servant leadership positively influenced the firm's revenues. Among the 274 samples, it was seen that exposure to this leadership style helps leaders focus on the company's goals. Moreover, the stakeholder's interest also rises. The study findings were unsurprising because this leadership, in which leaders put stakeholder interests (such as customers, employees, and communities) ahead of corporate goals and profits encourages employees to put others first.

According to Lemoine, the editor-in-chief of a publication in personal psychology, the company made more money as a result of those employees' better decision-making: a one-point increase in servant leadership scores transformed into eleven million dollars in additional revenue, or a 6% increase, for the company. Owing to the researchers, ' findings show how effective leadership can benefit communities and boost productivity.

Pros And Cons

Servant leadership is complementary to democratic leadership style, yet it has specific pros and cons. Let us look at them:

Pros	Cons
These create a people-focused culture within the organization.	Here, the employees might take undue advantage of the leaders.
Employees feel valued and encouraged. Plus, their morale also rises.	The decision-making process may be delayed.
Aids in better decision- making.	Lack of formal authority may cause delays in project execution.
Empower personnel to bring innovative ideas.	Improper communication can lead to diversion in the workflow process.
Helps in Improving relations among the employees and allows collaboration.	It may not be applicable in other industries.
Leaders also earn respect from the employees.	Seeking consensus and input from all team members can slow down decision-making processes, especially in urgent situations.
Moreover, it increases employee engagement and retention rate.	Holding employees accountable for their actions and performance can be more challenging in a servant leadership model.
Faster accomplishment of organizational goals.	Some individuals may perceive servant leaders as weak or indecisive, especially in competitive or high-stakes environments.
Stakeholder’s interests and profits tend to surge.	Moreover, employees sometimes exploit a servant leader's generosity or flexibility.

Servant Leadership vs Traditional Leadership vs Transformational Leadership

Although servant, traditional, and transformational leadership have similar objectives, their functioning differs. So, let us look at and understand their significant differences:

Aspect	Servant Leadership	Traditional Leadership	Transformational Leadership
Meaning	It refers to a leadership style where the leader acts as a servant first.	Traditional leadership is where a person becomes a leader through ancestral tradition.	Transformational leadership embarks on a transformation or drastic change within the organization and society.
Examples	Some examples include Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and others.	For example, the king passed his kingdom to the prince.	A few transformational leaders include Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and others.
Focus	Here, the prime objective is to serve the organization and its employees.	To improve the current business position and achieve their goals.	These obtain the support of the followers to attain the organization's goals.
Origin	Developed by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970.	The origin of traditional leadership existed since kings and 800 ACE.	James V. Downton introduced this style in 1973, later expanded by Bernard M. Bass and James Burns.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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