How can you become a Servant Leader in your workplace?

“Servant Leadership” is often misunderstood. It is leadership, which means being in front, not following. The difference is in HOW they lead. Just like any leader, they need to know where their team is heading (Vision) and how they will get there (Mission). But rather than PUSHING their agenda and ideas on people, Servant Leaders PULL intentions and ideas from people. They use open-ended questions more than statements. They connect people’s values to Team Strategy and focus on the bigger picture (Strategic Thinking) rather than micro-management. They anticipate what’s coming and build relationships. They trust, watch and listen, asking what people are inclined to do and how it connects to the Strategy. They facilitate critical thinking.

In my experience, the servant leadership is synonymous with coach or manager of a football team, where team members take the center stage but the leader provides the strategy and vision

Servant Leadership should be approached in that very order. Servant first, Leader second. In every situation start with how can I help and serve the situation. By asking the opnion of those in your team first you help to get a better understanding of the situation and foster team ownership. This leadership style requires you to demonstrate characteristics such as empathy, listening, stewardship. Your leadership and guidance should focus on others developing ideas for themselves and growing.

Becoming a servant leader in your workplace involves adopting a leadership philosophy focused on serving the needs of others and promoting their personal and professional growth. In my experience it's important to lead by example. Demonstrate the behaviors and values you want your team to exhibit. Be a role model for humility, empathy, and service. Your actions speak louder than words.

I find the idea of servant leadership very effective in the modern context. It's feeling confident and open to be corrected happily. It's possible only when one has overcome his own insecurities and has reached a mature level as a person. 1. Keep the purpose and goal transparent as much as possible. 2. Let the team decide how to achieve it. 3. Review progress openly. 4. Ensure everyone is heard. 5. Speak at last in the meetings. 6. Handle emotions. 7. Enable the team to achieve a goal and handle hurdles. 8. Be the least important person while with the team. This can't be complete. Only a few I practiced and I got great results. I learned these from great leaders while working with them...

Avoid the trap of listening only to respond. Listening actively is crucial for effective leadership. It involves more than just hearing; it's about understanding the underlying emotions, needs, and intentions of others.

SERVING IS SUCCEEDING Imagine leading a high performing team where individuals engage to grow each other proactively and having high satisfaction and fulfillment while doing it! You have just built an environment that is optimally motivating for people to work in. High performing teams tend to demonstrate 3 basic psychological needs: Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence. As the team becomes able to make decisions on their own, relate well with each other, and is capable in their functional area, the leader can then move onto doing other important things and growing in areas that require more involvement and attention.

The secret will always be listening to understand. So often leaders listen to form a response and then miss the point completely leaving the team member feeling unappreciated.

Many leaders believe they are actively listening and many miss the mark with this. Sometimes our brains are moving so quick that we anticipate what someone is saying and are ready with our response before they have actually finished their thought. Active listening is a skill we should continually put into practice. I have found that refraining from jumping in, taking a deep breath before responding, and asking clarifying questions allows me to better understand what is being communicated to me. This usually looks like, "What I heard you say was... Did I get that right?" Allowing for further clarification allows me to hear the message, as well as letting my team know what they are saying is worth the time spent on clarification.

We need to listen actively in our teams, servant leaders create a foundation for empathetic and inclusive leadership, ultimately empowering and serving their team effectively. It goes beyond hearing words, emphasizing the understanding of underlying emotions, needs, and meanings. Active listening involves open-ended questions, paraphrasing, reflecting emotions, and summarizing information. It builds rapport, trust, and respect, fostering a culture where diverse voices are valued and appreciated. This skill enables servant leaders to gain insights from various perspectives, promoting collaboration and innovation.

SERVING IS EASY Servant Leadership has been researched in the past 30 years and no single definition has been consistent. Yet, it is a topic of great interest within the multi-generational workforce, and the appetite for traditional leadership concepts is decreasing. Reflecting on the measures of a Servant Leader: Growing others to success and increasing the individual well-being, thus, serving can be as easy as asking 2 questions: 1. What do you need to succeed? 2. How has our interaction helped you get to where you want to be? Question (1) helps the individual to focus, clarify, and take ownership; Question (2) gives the leader an indication if the interaction was helpful and supports the recap of focus and actions by the individual.

Empathy is probably the most important part of Leadership and over and above the content above it also includes allowing the team to make mistakes every now and then and then looking for ways to help them learn from the mistake rather than punishing them for it.

Developing genuine empathy is the cornerstone of becoming a servant leader, which involves the ability to understand and share the emotions and experiences of others. It is distinguished from sympathy or pity, as it involves "feeling with" someone rather than feeling sorry for them or feeling superior. Empathy forges deep emotional connections, facilitating a deep understanding of the motivations, challenges, and goals of others. It is a vital skill for servant leaders, allowing them to provide compassionate support, build trust, and foster a collaborative, unified work culture, ultimately empowering their team and exemplifying effective servant leadership.

This is one of the toughest parts of being in a leadership position: Empathy. It is the ability to find the right emotional feeling for a situation someone else is experiencing. And this often comes through experience in life (personal and professional). Mindfulness can be a great practice for increasing that as the more you are reflecting your own emotions in your daily situations, you will realize more about yourself and later about the others.

They say "leaders eat last". When we have company lunches, or even in office wine and cheese happy hour, it's easy to simply get the plates, silverware, ice, napkins and makes sure we have a trash container for when we are finished. If those are done to "show" your servant attitude then you are a phony. If those are done because that's the way you always act at home, events, public, private, workplace etc.... then you are a servant for the sole purpose of making sure others eat first and have what they need to enjoy the moment. If you have to think about it or plan to do it, your an actor not a servant.

“Service Leadership” or “Servant Leadership” is not just for those in formal leadership positions; it is a mindset that anyone can adopt to make a positive impact. By embracing service leadership, we can elevate those around us, foster a supportive environment, and help create a culture of collaboration and partnership. Whether through actively listening to others, or empowering colleagues by being a thought partner, the commitment to service leadership can inspire a ripple effect of positive change within a team, department, and an organization.

Give away your gold and people will assume you have platinum they can acquire later. That's because people often expect stingy or self-serving behavior and are pleasantly surprised to encounter empathetic generosity, especially when it is proactive, unilateral and unreserved. Servant leadership is never transactional.

There is a very specific time commitment required of servant leadership, often under-prioritized due to the ever-quickening rat race that we all run. So often it feels the immense focus is laid on simply keeping up with a distinct fear of falling behind. Yet, it is often in these such moments that we must stop running and pause to look around for the others that have surely done just that. Servant leadership is a chosen commitment to those we serve, no matter the scenario or cost. It is an understanding that if one of ours falls behind, even if we are in front -so do we. It is a promise to turn around, lend a shoulder, and carry our team forward.

To empower effectively you have to strike the right balance. Your team needs to feel like you are giving them the space to do and own their work, but that you are available to actively support them when they need it. They need to feel recognized when they do well, but also be held accountable for what they deliver.

How you show up matters. Provide team members the autonomy and trust necessary to succeed. Give them space to grow, but also hold them accountable for meeting expectations. Show them what it looks like to be continuously growing, learning, and developing as a servant leader.

Do you appear to have joy in your work? Do you give recognition for effort, not just for outcomes? Do you celebrate failures and show excitement in finding the next step that might succeed? Our role modeled behavior makes all the difference and can steer a ship through any storm with the correct perspective. Praise often, encourage daily, redirect when needed, and do all side-by-side in support. Allow ownership and failure; there is always room for both.

Pick up your phone and look at the last 10 people you texted and reread the text conversation. Why did it happen? Hopefully at least one of these texts, was solely you attempting to let someone else know they aren't alone. Did you wish someone else a happy birthday? Did you let someone know you were thinking of them because you hadn't heard from them in a while? If you are going to sleep at night and your phone doesn't look like this, send messages until it does. With work colleagues too. Tell them you were impressed with a presentation they did. Tell them something they taught you that day. Tell them how they inspire you. The trick is not to tell them because you are seeking to "lead." Tell them simply because it's true.

- Listening is your superpower. Use it! - Be authentic in your interactions with everyone. This gains respect. - Hold yourself to the highest standard. Others will follow. - Be courageous and have the difficult conversations. It works out for the better. Remember. Servant leadership doesn't map to job title. It's about how you turn up.

Being consistent and behaving ethically matters 100%. When others see the good example you set, they will be more likely to make the right decision. All of these values drive the health of an organization's culture.

A good servant is always open to what is being instructed by his/her master, no matter how difficult or mundane the tasks are. So a fundamental trait for a Servant Leader is to be open minded. It is easier said than done. Most people are ONLY open minded to an idea or concept if and only if it is in alignment with their own thinking or mindset. That's selective open mindedness. A true servant leader will lead by example by being truly open minded. I do not mean to say, they have totally no principles or can be a pushed over. But they are open to listen FIRST, before making their own assessment if an idea is not going to work. They lead by being good listeners with an open mind (see above contribution on Listen Actively on the process).

The Servant leader embodies, practices, and inspires a heart-set representing 5 basic human desires, namely sense of security (so we do not fear change, can embrace the new, and approach situations with curiosity and an innovative spirit), joy (feeling a sense of fulfilment and pride when we believe we have purpose and make a difference), love (a sense of belonging and understanding that allow us to take risks and to trust that all is possible), creativity (everyone wants to be of value and co-create new experiences rather than focusing on what is wrong or not working, or solving problems), and meaning (everyone wants to feel they matter and have made an impact and contributed to something amazing). A shift from a 'me' to we to ALL mindset.

Serve when no one is looking! Servant leadership entails a good measure of selflessness. If it’s all about supporting others in the pursuit of a common goal, then servant leadership is a 24/7 job that doesn’t require an audience and that doesn’t ask for recognition or praise.

Servant leaders can lead from any level, regardless of title. It is about serving others and lifting them up, no matter where you are on the organizational hierarchy.

Servant leadership is a great way to lead. I believe in collaborative Leadership: -EVERYONE is INVOLVED in decision making. -Everyone has their specific role. -Everyone knows the importance of their part. Collaborative Leadership is HERE, and will be PRESENT for a very LONG-TIME. In today’s world Collaborative Leadership is the only way to LEAD your organization to success; the WAY to reach Organizational Goals.

Be willing to use other leadership styles when needed. Just be very intentional and transparent that any pivot is strategic and show how it aligns with your servant leadership. Otherwise you risk being perceived as passive-aggressive or a flip-flopper or a manipulator. Borrowing from other leadership styles should never involve situational ethics (even if you're a lawyer). Instead, you can craft your own unique version of servant leadership while retaining your integrity and bolstering your credibility.

There is a misconception often happening with servant leadership and that is to serve blindly. That is not the case with it. It's contact sport, meaning servant leadership at the end will still involve a lot of tough situations, communications and conflicts. People can quickly jump on the serving part and are surprised that caring for others doesn't mean no conflict. It is often the opposite.