Servant Leadership
An Unconventional Approach to Leadership

If you spend any time at all studying leadership, you will quickly find that there are many paths to follow. Some paths are proven, while others are unpracticed methods without much if any results. Many of these unpracticed methods come from people who have natural leadership skills but don’t really know how to teach others how to lead. Personally, I like to learn from people who had to develop themselves into a leader over time or have experienced developing others with said methods.

Beyond these methods, there are principles of leadership that have stood the test of time and when put into practice, ultimately bring positive results. Some of these principles are captured in the idea of Servant Leadership.

The concept of servant leadership was introduced by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, yet its principles have roots dating back over two millennia. Servant leaders prioritize understanding the broader perspective and dedicate themselves to serving their followers. While conventional leaders focus on their own needs, servant leaders prioritize helping others achieve their goals while maintaining a holistic view of the organization. Their focus lies not in personal gain but in making a meaningful impact on others, thereby influencing the organization positively.

While conventional business practices historically prioritize profit and place authoritative figures in positions of accountability, servant leadership diverges by emphasizing empathy and connection. When leaders genuinely attend to the needs of their team members, engaging both their emotions and intellect, they foster a depth of commitment rarely achieved in traditional organizational structures. The outcomes of servant leadership extend beyond mere financial metrics; they are evident in heightened employee engagement and unwavering dedication to organizational goals.

7 Principles of Servant Leadership

In “The Way of the Shepherd,” authors Dr. Kevin Leman and Bill Pentak recount an anecdote where the CEO of General Technologies reflects on his company’s remarkable employee retention over decades. The CEO credits his retention strategy to learning the 7 Principles of Servant Leadership from a college professor who happened to be a sheep herder.

1. Know the condition of your flock. Follow the status of your employees as well as the status of their work. Get to know them one person at a time and engage them on a regular basis. When you hear something, keep your eyes and ears open, Ask questions and follow through.
2. Discover the SHAPE of your “sheep.” The choices you make in hiring/accepting team members actually make your performance management easier or harder. Background checks make it easy to not inherit someone else’s problems. Knowing their SHAPE will make sure you have the right people in the right places:
   • Strengths: Know the skill sets of your team members so they will be placed in the correct roles.
   • Heart: What are they passionate about? This doesn’t have to revolve around work. If you know the things that are important to them, then you have fuel with which to motivate them.
   • Attitude: Wins over talent every time. It doesn’t matter the skill set that a person has—if they are not easy to work with then they kill the team spirit and productivity suffers.
   • Personality: Knowing how your team members are hard-wired will help you to better understand their skill sets. For example, would you place a meek and quiet person as a greeter or receptionist in your department? With the many things going on today, reception areas have to be on guard to protect clients and staff and have to know how to act in an emergency.
   • Experiences: Each person is a product of their life and work experiences. Find out the skills they bring to the table by talking with them rather than just reading a resume.
3. Help your sheep identify with you. Build trust with your team members by modeling authenticity, integrity, and compassion—but continue to hold high standards of performance.
4. Make your pasture a safe place. Keep your team well-informed and let them know the importance of their position within the team. If possible, allow them to rotate job duties—that way you’re not only cross-training them, but you’re also preparing others to take the lead if someone is out or not available.
5. The staff of direction. Just as a shepherd uses a staff to guide his flock, a leader should give their team members freedom of movement, but make sure they know the boundaries of their roles and positions.
6. The rod of correction. Shepherds used a knobkerrie (a tree root that was whittled into a weapon) to protect their flocks from wild animals, to correct them when they strayed from the flock, and to inspect them when they settled down to roost for the night. In the same way, leaders are to stand in the gap and fight for their teams (protection); approach discipline as an opportunity to teach (correction); and regularly inquire about their progress (inspection).
7. The heart of the shepherd. Great leadership is not a technique or a model to follow. It is a lifestyle that the servant leader creates within their personal and professional lives.

Secret to Becoming a Successful Leader

Over the years, numerous studies have been conducted to uncover the traits that contribute to successful leadership. In the 1970s, management experts and researchers identified certain characteristics commonly found in effective leaders. These traits have been repeatedly highlighted in various lists over time.  Here is a similar list of traits of what successful leaders do.

• Gives clear work instructions.
• Praise others when they deserve it.
• Is willing to take time to listen to others.
• Is calm and cool and takes time to think things through.
• Projects confidence and self-assurance.
• Has appropriate technical knowledge of the work being supervised.
• Understands the problems the group encounters.
• Gains the group’s respect.
• Treats everyone fairly.
• Demands good work from everyone.
• Gains people’s trust.
• Goes to bat for the group.
• Does not act superior to employees.
• Is easy to talk to.

Conclusion

For those studying leadership principles, the ultimate goal is to enhance their effectiveness as leaders. Achieving success in leadership is straightforward: emulate the practices of successful leaders. Servant leadership principles have demonstrated their effectiveness over time and have been implemented by successful leaders the world over.  Therefore, anyone desiring to improve their leadership effectiveness would do well to implement these principles into their leadership tool kit.

 References

• To learn more about Robert Greenleaf and his ideas of servant leadership, see his biography published on the Center for Servant Leadership website.
• Leman, K., & Pentak, W. (2004). The way of the shepherd. Zondervan.
• Adapted from “Leadership Skills for Supervisors” by Velsoft

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