Servant Leadership: Why & How

Servant leadership is a leadership approach that utilizes empathy and curiosity to prioritize the needs of others and serve those around you. This leadership style has gained popularity in popular culture because individuals recognize the value of empathy, which prioritizes the elevation of others first in order to achieve success.

Servant leadership fosters positive relationships between leaders and their team members by prioritizing their needs and well-being. Leaders demonstrate that they value their team members and empathize with their growth and improvement. This leads to increased loyalty and trust among employees and teams, which in turn improves collaboration, communication, and teamwork.

The loyalty and trust built within servant leadership promote a culture of empowerment and accountability. When team members have the tools, confidence, and resources to succeed, they grow, and others improve. Leaders empower their team members to take ownership of their work and take pride in their accomplishments, resulting in increased motivation and job satisfaction. Moreover, this approach improves productivity, creativity, and innovation across the team.

Servant leadership also has positive impacts on an organization's culture and social responsibility. By prioritizing the needs of others, servant leaders demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of their workplace, communities, nations, and society as a whole. This creates increased engagement and support from stakeholders and builds a reputation for risk-adjusted and responsible business practices.

To cultivate a servant leadership culture, leaders must practice key principles. They prioritize the needs of others over their own self-interest, leverage their skills to listen intently, promote transparent communication, and actively seek out opportunities to inspire and improve team members. Additionally, they lead by example, modeling the behavior and values they expect from their team members, and hold themselves and their team accountable to high standards of risk-adjusted and responsible team leadership behavior.

Servant leaders also cultivate a culture of empathy and value diversity to ensure all team members experience kindness and dignity. By prioritizing the needs of others, leading by example, and improving others through empathy and curiosity, servant leaders create a positive and impactful leadership environment.