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The term "servant leadership" has become a buzzword in the modern business world, and those who truly embody it tend to find it has improved their organizations. At its core, this approach is one where leaders prioritize the growth and well-being of their team members over their own. This approach yields tangible benefits for organizational success, as well as a culture of trust and collaboration.
Below, 20 Forbes Human Resources Council members discuss what servant leadership means to them and why it's a stepping stone to success in the modern workplace. Read on to learn how to start implementing this leadership approach on your own team.
1. Being Self-Aware
Servant leaders are self-aware which involves regularly engaging in introspection and reflection to understand their emotions, thoughts and behaviors. They take time to reflect on how they are "showing up" to their team members. They seek feedback from others to gain diverse perspectives on the impact of their behaviors, actions and choices, learn from that feedback and are open to change. - Heide Abelli, SageX
2. Creating An Environment Of Trust And Collaboration
To me, servant leadership is about prioritizing the needs of the team. A leader’s success is defined by the productivity and success of their team members, so being available and accessible is crucial. This creates an environment of trust and collaboration which leads to overall wins for the organization. - Kshitij Jain, Joveo
3. Meeting Your Team's Needs
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy where the only purpose of the leader is to serve the people. The goal of the leader is to meet the needs of his team, develop them, empower them, support their growth and help them perform to their best ability. Servant leaders are empathetic with high EQ, committed to the team's growth and believe in community building leading to business success. - Hitashi Malik, Rasan
4. Making Your Team's Priorities As Important As Your Own
Servant leadership means considering your team member’s goals, motivations and values like your own. Servant leadership is crucial for establishing trust and accountability as a leader. It also creates an atmosphere where challenges can be resolved in healthy ways. Servant leaders are leaders who lift their colleagues higher rather than pull them along harder. - Joey Price, Jumpstart HR LLC
5. Creating Organizational Effectiveness And Productivity
A servant leader empowers teams, puts employees' needs first and invests in their team's development to grow, learn and achieve peak performance. Servant leadership fosters a positive corporate culture, encourages teamwork, boosts morale and leads to higher employee engagement and retention resulting in overall organizational effectiveness and productivity. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
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6. Leading By Example
Servant leadership is the epitome of leading by example. It demonstrates teamwork, trust, collaboration and loyalty. When employees experience servant leadership, they often adapt to the behaviors of the leader, in turn, also demonstrating these qualities. This increases productivity and lowers turnover. Employees are most successful when they feel supported and their desires and needs are met. - Kimika Banfield, Arootah
7. Building Strong Relationships
Servant leadership is all about supporting the needs of your team and identifying growth opportunities that excite and engage the workforce. The name is awful because it too often gets pseudo-weaponized. Academically, it's a key component to any manager because it allows them to build strong, nurturing relationships with their direct reports while building credibility (if done correctly). - Corey Berkey, Garnet Bridge Consulting
8. Achieving Positive Change
Businesses and employees will gain when a servant leadership strategy is centered on the leader altering their behavior rather than trying to change others' minds. A leader should possess the abilities and disposition necessary for achieving positive changes and set an example for others of their beliefs, expectations and conduct in any circumstance. - Dr. Nara Ringrose, Cyclife Aquila Nuclear
9. Serving First And Leading Second
Servant leadership refers to the philosophy that managers must first be willing to serve before they can lead. This is especially important in today’s workplace where talented employees have choices and won’t stay at a company where they don’t feel supported by management. A servant leadership philosophy ensures mutual trust, respect, commitment and reliability between managers and employees. - John Feldmann, Insperity
10. Being A Role Model
Servant leader by name implies serving others while in a leadership role. Especially for an organization focused on serving its customers, leadership begins by establishing a role model for the organization. Servant leadership is that model that helps the leader lead their team and in turn, builds a culture of offering excellent service to customers driving higher profitability for the organization. - Dinesh Sheth, Green Circle Life
11. Taking Accountability
Servant leadership means shared accountability whereby the leaders take responsibility in order to empower employees so they’re able to fully contribute and perform at their best. By doing so, leaders establish an environment where it's not too risky for employees to step up and say "I can solve this problem," because they know they have leadership support behind them. - Jessica Kriegel, Culture Partners
12. Prioritizing The Team's Growth And Well-Being
Servant leadership to me means prioritizing the growth and well-being of team members. It's crucial for managers as it fosters trust, respect and collaboration, leading to a more engaged, productive and ethical workplace. This approach not only enhances team performance but also nurtures future leaders, essential for long-term organizational success. - Hassan Choughari, Jaroudi Group
13. Taking Responsibility
Servant leaders put the team and the goals of their organizations or departments first. Similar to level 5 leadership in Jim Collins' book "Good to Great," these leaders take responsibility for their teams' challenges and ensure the team gets credit for the successes. This is important as employees choose to stay with managers, not companies, and if the manager puts them first, they are more apt to stay. - Cat Colella-Graham
14. Empowering Employees To Their Full Potential
Servant leadership is centered around active listening, empathy, collaboration and a commitment to ethical and moral principles. It prioritizes the well-being and growth of team members and aims to empower them to their full potential. This leadership style has been found to positively affect employee satisfaction, engagement and productivity, as well as promote a positive corporate culture. - Reema Akhtar, Seer Solutions
15. Coaching Employees Toward Their Goals
A servant leader doesn't ask, “What’s in it for me?” They ask, “How can I make this better for the team?” Servant leaders build people up and coach them toward goals and results. They build cohesion and collaboration among the team by establishing trust and loyalty. They also roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to set an example, which is the key to success in any workplace. - Casey Huebsch, South End Partners
16. Leading With Empathy
Servant leadership is empathy and care where employees feel supported, heard, understood, appreciated and respected for their unique talents. According to Oprah Winfrey, "Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives." - Sherry Martin, Government Administration
17. Focusing On Providing Support
Prioritizing the growth and well-being of team members. A Harvard study found that servant leaders foster high trust and engagement, crucial for workplace success. They create supportive environments, like Google's Project Oxygen, which revealed that the most effective managers empower and support their teams. They enhance collaboration, innovation and loyalty, driving organizational success. - Joseph Soares, IBPROM Corp.
18. Working On Others' Success
To me, servant leadership means adopting a mindset that a leader’s most important job is to ensure that those on their team are wildly successful. It is a selfless, low-ego form of leadership focused on paving the path and removing roadblocks. It hinges on making others feel important, empowered and supported. - Dave Barnett, DeVry University
19. Adapting To Meet Your Employees' Needs
“Servant leadership” is incredibly important to my work and the work we do at my organization. Many ways of thinking about leadership encourage leaders to use the style that best suits their personality. Servant leadership instead focuses on how the leader can adapt to meet the needs of the group, which can help everyone on the team to succeed. - Niki Jorgensen, Insperity
20. Developing The Next Generation Of Leaders
Servant leaders' impact is not confined to the office. It transcends the boundaries of one's tenure and extends to society as a whole. Their impact is not measured by short-term organizational success, but by the enduring positive culture and values they instill in the organization, developing the next generation of leaders and their contribution to a more equitable and enlightened world of work. - Katrina Jones, Acacia Network
