Servant Leadership
Written by: Santarvis Brown, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Servant leadership isn’t a new concept, however, the movement within corporations to grow servant leaders is a popular trend to improve the company as a whole.
Today, I want to touch on the benefits of being a servant leader. We’ve all experienced traditional leaders. And I will go out on a limb to say that there are more traditional leaders than there are servant leaders. But with a new generation of businesses emerging that focus on an employee’s work-life balance and mental health we can see a strong change toward servant leadership. Traditional leadership focuses on improving an organization with a top-down approach. What I mean about top-down is that leadership makes the decisions, and everyone falls in line. The challenge with traditional leadership is that a company can lose buy-in from employees at every level. And when you lose buy-in you lose motivation, loyalty, morale, and efficiency. Traditional leadership often lacks respect for employees. Whereas servant leaders put the employees’ needs first. A servant leader focuses on developing, praising, and hopefully promoting employees from within.
When a leader develops employees that leader is showing appreciation for that employee. This, contrary to traditional leadership, promotes efficiency, motivation, morale, and accountability. When we are actually part of a respected team, we want to see our team (company) do better.
So, what are the characteristics of a servant leader?
Listening Skills
Listening skills are necessary for any leader. With servant leadership, listening skills are how you show your employees that you care about their opinions, expertise and even that you will back them up when they need help. Listening can be challenging for anyone, but developing this skill will bring you a long way.
Connecting (Empathy)
Empathy is a great characteristic of the servant leader. Though, I like to say connecting. Connecting is about looking at a situation from multiple viewpoints. In any office or work setting people will look at things differently. Empathy allows you to put yourself in your employees’ shoes to identify how decisions impact each employee. Empathy is a sign of respect and may open your eyes.
Selflessness
Have you ever had a leader take credit for your hard work? Or minimize your effort? Selflessness is about helping others succeed. Selflessness is not about your fast-track up the company ladder. It is about developing and giving praise so that everyone within the company has an opportunity to succeed.
Encouragement
Few people are satisfied by living through the monotony of the day. Offering praise is one way to keep people motivated, but it can only go so far. Encouragement is the practice of helping an employee elevate their ambitions. A servant leader knows how to nurture and develop an employee so that that employee can move on to improved career choices in a company or grow their expertise and skill-sets.
Being a Servant leader is about cultivating trust and developing employees. This all begins with improving your listening skills and connecting with employees’ needs. As a servant leader, public praise for work well done and growth encouragement are fundamental to improving your team on an individual level and the growth of the company as a whole.
Santarvis Brown, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director. A noted speaker, researcher, and full professor, he has lent his speaking talent to many community and educational forums, serving as a keynote speaker. He has also penned several publications tackling issues in civic service, faith, leadership, and education.
