Servant leadership does not require you to give up your identity as a person. In past generations, leadership techniques missed this fact.
In times past, we knew that these leadership commanders would expel us if we did not follow their instructions. We worked hard, and then we went to work even more. If we were upset, it was the old “don’t stumble on the way out” mindset. The idea of servant leadership was considered laughable.
That was your father’s workplace.
However, we learned the worth of a dollar and established a strong work ethic, as well as devotion and commitment — and that was only the beginning. There are several different qualities and characteristics that we might mention. However, those leaders anticipated and generated professionals for their workplace.
Of course, executive decisions, even at the highest level, can still seem arbitrary.
The Evolution of Leadership
As we moved through the generations, with Millennials and now Gen Z joining the workforce, our leadership style and expectations had to shift.
We attended workshops. Read articles. Listened to podcasts. Sought guidance from anybody who had experience inspiring and motivating a workforce that we considered sluggish. Seeking guidance ended the days of command and control and authority-based leadership. The previous leadership style phases out as a new one takes its stand.
The new approach of putting the workers first, including inclusivity, engagement, active listening, and workforce growth is fantastic. It’s the style experts teach today.
Indeed, as leaders, we must have a variety of leadership styles in our arsenal. However, servant leadership (SL) must be the cornerstone of our leaders. The accurate measure of leadership success is how engaged, contented, and productive your staff is, and SL is how we achieve that.
Servant Leadership: How to Put It Into Action
SL is all about helping others and concentrating on the development and well-being of people. That is to say, those we bring into our organizations to help with the growth and success of the firm.
If we want our companies to thrive, we must also increase our employees. You don’t recruit someone based just on their prior performance. You recruit them for what they have the potential to accomplish in the future.
If you don’t help them expand their knowledge, talents, and abilities, you’ll receive what they’ve given previous employers. The components of SL should be essential abilities practiced by every effective leader.
Pay attention.
Stay genuinely interested in what people are saying. Stop listening to the words and start listening to how you feel.
When you hear workers express how they feel, you might grasp what they are saying.
Show empathy.
It’s all about seeing oneself in their shoes.
Did we face any unique problems as employees compared to the rest of the workforce? Simply recalling how we felt in similar circumstances might aid in healing. You may attempt to address disputes and confrontations in this manner or repair a wounded spirit that may have diminished a coworker’s drive.
Servent leadership enables you to grow and gain confidence, establish an atmosphere with high awareness, set a vision for the future, and have the foresight not to fall into the same potholes that have tripped you up in the past, all while being a steward for the profession, developing others, and creating community.
Based on what we’ve learned from prior leadership styles, what are we lacking here?
Perhaps the absence of effective communication, healing, and empathy was unfavorable, but we did obtain some of these features. We merely needed to hone those talents.
How Servant Management Functions
This leads us back to where we started: not sacrificing who we are as individuals and professionals in the service of others. You may still have high expectations, but we must meet those expectations with equally high responsibility. Leaders should include workforce members in the development of those expectations. And then you should ask them how they want to be held responsible.
You may be commanding; or can instill loyalty and serve as a role model for devotion and commitment. You have a lot of possibilities depending on the employee’s experience when using that toolbox of leadership styles. The way you lead a six-month employee may differ from how you lead a 20-year employee, yet, service is still the basis.
The workforce is currently led by Generation X, with Millennials close behind. We must continue to play an essential role in developing tomorrow’s leaders. There may have been some elements of that prior leadership style by teaching what we learned in being independent, truthful and honest, and improving our talents. We may expect coworkers to be loyal, focused, and committed, but only after developing a culture that allows for such conduct.
Many individuals believe that SL is ineffective and lets the employees rule the company. True, but keep in mind that no one position is more vital than another in any business. There are simply varied tasks depending on your job.
In summary, we can serve our workers while recalling the abilities we learned from our previous leaders.
