Servant Leadership
Servant Leadership means the leader becomes the servant of those being led. Mostly, Servant Leadership is a selfless pursuit to provide an effective influence that benefits the group's growth, ability, experience, and results. In detail, the definition breaks down like this:
puts themselves ahead of the team's benefit, the team's improvement is compromised.
is subject to a team's objectives. If the team is maximizing its pursuit of established objectives, the leadership is highly
effective.
strengths, competitive advantages, knowledge, and opportunities. If a team is not growing, its members will become
complacent and ineffective. A good leader must realize the long-term needs of the team and provide influence that achieves
what is best for the team.
serve their teams can actually become a burden to the team's efficiency.
experiences can cause infighting, turnover, suppressed effort, breakdowns in communication, and other hindering
frustrations. Positive team environments work like grease to an engine, and negative environments work like glue.
If the group is growing, its results will improve. If the group increases its abilities, the results will increase. And, if the
experience is positive it will likely increase results, but more importantly, if the results are not there, the group's experience
will turn negative. Results matter most of all, except for one thing - sustained results. Many leaders who do not serve their
teams well may see short-term improvements and short-term results, but results will decrease over time if the team itself is
not benefiting from the leader's influence.
Servant leadership is about providing whatever the team needs so the team can improve.
The cornerstones of servant leadership are found in the four "E" factors.
- a selfless pursuit
puts themselves ahead of the team's benefit, the team's improvement is compromised.
- to provide an effective influence
is subject to a team's objectives. If the team is maximizing its pursuit of established objectives, the leadership is highly
effective.
- that benefits the group's
- growth,
strengths, competitive advantages, knowledge, and opportunities. If a team is not growing, its members will become
complacent and ineffective. A good leader must realize the long-term needs of the team and provide influence that achieves
what is best for the team.
- ability,
serve their teams can actually become a burden to the team's efficiency.
- experience,
experiences can cause infighting, turnover, suppressed effort, breakdowns in communication, and other hindering
frustrations. Positive team environments work like grease to an engine, and negative environments work like glue.
- and results.
If the group is growing, its results will improve. If the group increases its abilities, the results will increase. And, if the
experience is positive it will likely increase results, but more importantly, if the results are not there, the group's experience
will turn negative. Results matter most of all, except for one thing - sustained results. Many leaders who do not serve their
teams well may see short-term improvements and short-term results, but results will decrease over time if the team itself is
not benefiting from the leader's influence.
Servant leadership is about providing whatever the team needs so the team can improve.
The cornerstones of servant leadership are found in the four "E" factors.
- Encouraging
- Educating
- Enabling
- Empowering