The term
Servant Leader is credited to Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an
essay that he first published in 1970. …”It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.”
Servant Leadership should be approached in that very order. Servant first, leader second. In every interaction, start with how can I help and serve the situation and/or the person?’ More often than not it will be about supporting others through coaching to reach the right outcome together. It isn’t about handing the responsibility to someone else, it is about taking responsibility of uplifting those around you so everyone is part of the solution.
This leadership style requires leaders to demonstrate characteristics such as empathy, listening, and stewardship. Your leadership and guidance should focus on others developing ideas for themselves and growing their craft within the chapter.
The following topics all sit broadly under the umbrella of empowering teams and how leaders can better help those that report into them. They are not in any order of importance, and there is, of course, plenty of crossover between these topics and those found elsewhere on this site; they shouldn’t be viewed in isolation. If there are other topics that you would like to see discussed, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.