The concept of servant leadership can be clear in its definition but confusing in its application. It can be clear in its definition because as the name suggests, it is about serving those you lead. As simple as that. It is in the application of this concept where you may find yourself a bit less certain of how it should look and feel like.
Does it mean that as a leader you are there to make everyone’s job easy and perform their tasks for them? Not at all. That is the perfect recipe for a burned-out leader who is constantly trying to please their team and not getting anywhere. Serving people is not about doing their jobs for them, it is about helping them be effective in them so they can be the best version of themselves. The term is composed of two concepts, so it may be worthwhile to explore them separately to understand how they fit together.
The leadership element refers to your role in defining the strategy and the associated responsibility you owe to our team in carrying it out. It is about defining the compelling vision that aligns the team’s efforts under a common cause to achieve a specific outcome. It is about why you are all doing what you are doing and living it through your daily actions.
The servant element refers to how you deliver said strategy from an implementation point of view. It is about the way you support, empower, and enable your team members to accomplish their individual and collective goals in a way that is fulfilling to them. It is about working for your team to allow them to reach their full potential.
How do you start serving better?
In a nutshell, by listening better – and then doing something about what you hear. A lot has been written about listening and its importance, but it is not until you put into action plans derived from this listening that things start to move forward meaningfully. A great leader cares about their team members and wants to see them succeed. Therefore, by listening to understand you can identify people’s motivators and strengths, have an idea of where their comfort zone is, and pinpoint any potential barriers to success – both intrinsic to them as individuals as well as external to them in your company’s environment and beyond.
Another of the many benefits of listening to understand and act, is that you can assess and put strategies in place to ensure as best you can that you are taking people on the journey. For this, you must stay connected to them as individuals as you all fulfil the vision together. This all takes patience and time, but the rewards of doing it properly are considerable. Running ahead without taking the time to listen to and address concerns will not help enlist others, and sometimes slowing the pace to allow for a more cohesive advance will get us there stronger. It is said that if you want to go fast, you go alone; but if you want to go far, you go together. I could not agree more.
Being a servant leader also means to be able to listen to the individuals you lead with an open mind, acknowledging others’ points of view, and respecting and understanding their position. As with most things, whatever you want to receive from people you will have to give it first. If you want them to understand you, understand first. If you want them to trust you, trust first. If you want them to listen to you, listen first.
Why should you care?
As with most things that are focused on authentically giving people a great experience at work, great leadership provides better business results. Truly caring about people’s growth and development is a sure way to move from getting their ‘hands and feet’ to enlisting their ‘hearts and minds’ into the task, which goes much further. This is where fulfilment, discretionary effort, and purpose come in. This is where we are all thinking about how to make things better because we care and not because we have to.
Another big benefit of being a servant leader and listening intently is that it will reveal the source of people’s motivation and their strengths. This allows you to co-create performance goals and development plans that align both with the individual’s aspirations and the team’s goals, making them much more likely to be achieved.
Sceptics may say that trying to create a goal in this way is deceiving as it uses people’s desires to achieve business goals. While I can understand their concern, this is only true if done explicitly with that purpose in mind. People generally have a good radar for lack of authenticity and can clearly see through your motivations. If you truly care and you are authentic about your desire to see others succeed, then co-creating goals that serve the individual will have the business result as a consequence of their personal success, not as the primary goal.
Putting it in action
One way to explore the concept and give it a try is to be truthful about it and describe the process to your teams. Be explicit about the fact that you are looking for ways to make their work meaningful to them and ask for their thoughts on how this could be achieved. Some people do it for self-improvement, others to leave a mark, for others it is about what the job enables them to do in their personal life. Everyone is motivated by something personal to them and therefore it will be different to each person.
Ask yourself why you do what you do and why it motivates you and you’ll realise your reasons are most likely different to those of others around you. It’s the same in your teams. The overarching goal may be the same for the whole team, but the question is how to tailor it to appeal to the individuals and make it relevant and aligned to their aspirations. This will help them understand how their actions fit in the team’s success and how they can maximise their contribution through their results.
People generally want to do a good job and be proud of their achievements, so help them get there by co-creating meaningful goals, providing support through a service mindset, and getting out of the way. It can all start with one simple question: is there any way I can help you?
What is one action you can implement this week as a result of reading this article? Give it a go and let me know how you go!
