Eps 3: If You Want To Be A Winner, Change Your Servant Philosophy Now!
— Sun Tzu's Awesome Tips On Banjo
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Host
Jo Gilbert
Podcast Content
A servant leader realizes that they are in a position of being servant leaders for those who are in charge, setting others up for leadership someday, and contributing themselves. Rather than wanting his people to like the servant leader, he is interested in making a difference in the lives of his people, and, in doing so, influencing the organization. In the military, the servant leader puts his or her own ego aside and tries to put others needs first to achieve mission accomplishments and make the organization better. A servant leader aims to help individuals achieve victory by teaching and coaching individuals so that they may achieve the best.
Redefining success as changes that a servant leader can bring about within their own organization and in the world around them...rather than changes and progress that others may bring about within their own ranks and positions. The servant leader must strive first and foremost to be a servant, caring for the needs of all others around him, in order to enable growth of the leaders who come after. Author Robert Greenleaf A servant is someone whose responsibility is to nurture and enable followers to achieve their full potential. Sendjeia & Sarros A leader is someone whose intent is to advance the welfare of the people around them. Putting others first must be the fundamental pivot in any leadership philosophy.
As we look forward to the next century, leaders will be those who enable others. Leadership is not a new concept; leaders have existed since the world was created. Fostering leadership comes in a variety of forms, including coaching, mentoring, and development.
An effective, developmental leadership approach positions an individual to be truly influential, and becomes a critical element of real impact. Dominant leadership may be attractive as it projects authority, stability, and decisiveness. Using the Dominant leadership style, the dominant executive takes actions and makes policies that mostly benefit them.
True leadership takes an active interest in others, with no requirement of a return favor. A specific style of leadership where a leader serves others and puts their needs first, with an unassuming approach, in order to achieve a group objective is known as servant leadership. Servant leadership is an ancient concept, and is a term loosely used to indicate that the chief role of the leader is to serve others, particularly employees.
The practice of servant leadership builds confidence among employees, who can feel inspired by the competency and character of their manager, and convinced by their managers practice of serving others that they are their best interests at heart. In other styles of leadership, such as democratic or authoritarian leadership, the main purpose of developing others is to increase their effectiveness and productivity as employees. Leaders who live their company values according to the principles of servant leadership The principles of servant leadership promote a more inclusive and productive environment for their teams.
After 40 years of experience both as a practitioner and as a leadership strategist, I believe that servant leadership is in fact real leadership, a better, higher call on leaders. This paper, drawing from multiple interviews with experts and practitioners, as well as the latest research in leadership, examines the art and practice of servant leadership--its philosophies and goals, and best practices guidance for safety leaders aspiring to be great servant leaders. In addition to these examples of servant leadership in action, there is a wealth of research and writing making servant leadership more accessible for emerging leaders today. Adam Grants argument is that servant leaders are beneficiaries of critical contacts, information, and insights that make them more effective and productive at what they do, although they devote much time sharing what they have learned and helping others, via things like career consultations, suggesting connections, and suggesting new ways to do things.
Sipes and Fricks, in their groundbreaking Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership, argue that there are seven supports which any leader can build upon as he or she strives to exhibit servant leadership. Most books on servant leadership expound on the greater good that can be accomplished by any leader in partnership with his or her team. Reading it, it is difficult to imagine someone who does not want to become that kind of leader -- the humble servant, enabler, and coach, who is singularly focused on making possible greatness, both for his organization and for its people.
Any Great Leader, and I mean the ethical leader of any organization, I mean every group, would view any Great Leader as the servant of that organization, and would behave accordingly. He who wishes to become the greatest among you should be a servant to you, and he who wishes to become the foremost among you should be the slave to everyone. Whoever wants to become the head of the people must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
You are not acting as a servant, as in the proverbial saying, and your master is driving every movement. This sounds like it will be a weakness, but in reality, it will help to strengthen you as a leader, allowing others to see you as a person, and not just someone signing checks. People often make servant leadership seem nice, but sometimes the kindest thing you can do is to hold difficult conversations with people, handle conflicts, make difficult decisions, and hold people accountable.