As a team leader, you understand that success can only be achieved through teamwork.
You can never achieve anything great on your own.
It’s impossible for you to meet the collective targets and face all the challenges by yourself, so you need a team by your side.
But, no matter how motivated you are, if your people aren’t as equally dedicated, you won’t achieve the results you’re after. You need to surround yourself with a team of people who are motivated and inspired to do their best work for you.
A style of leadership that is becoming increasingly popular due to the results it generates is Servant Leadership. That is, the leader serving their team, putting their needs before their own.
Long gone are the days of bosses barking orders, expecting their people to scuttle and do their job because “that’s what they’re being paid for”.
Now, the Servant Leadership approach is truly reaping rewards for leaders.
The benefits are clear: a more productive, cohesive team that people like to be a part of because they feel heard, valued, supported and appreciated.
However, before you give it a try, it’s important to dig deeper to understand what exactly is servant leadership and what role it plays in business.
Servant leadership is a philosophy where being the leader, you put the needs of your team first and you lead by example – you lead because you serve and you serve because you lead.
Instead of manifesting power and authority (the lowest level of leadership), here’s a checklist of the traits that you need to adopt to foster a dedicated team with servant leadership:
- Be selfless and committed to serving the needs of your team, even at your inconvenience
- Work alongside your team, getting your hands dirty in the trenches so to speak – lead by example
- Be humble and ensure your team gets credit for the success you achieve
- Be empathetic and a good listener – be available to your people
- Promote honesty, transparency and fairness within your organisation
- Offer your people all the support they need – ensure they know you have their backs at all times
- Acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of your people- both publicly and in one on one meetings.
You can also check out this blog to understand what it requires to be a servant leader in its true sense.
Once you’re able to apply this leadership approach to your business, it won’t be long before you start reaping the benefits of servant leadership:
- Your team will know you care about them and are committed to their success – therefore you’ll be able to create a high performance culture of trust and respect within your organisation.
- Your people will be more likely to be engaged in the business and give you their best performance. (Trust is the #1 driver of engagement. ADP Global Workplace Study 2020 ) and be accountable for achieving their responsibilities and targets.
- It will foster greater levels of innovation, collaboration and creativity as people will feel empowered, ready to take risks, and explore new ideas when they know they have your full support and backing.
- The resilience of your team increases 42X when they trust their leader and team mates.(ADP Global Workplace Study 2020 )
When practised well, servant leadership is an effective style of leadership, where you can inspire people to achieve great things and make a lasting positive impact on your organisation.
As the leader of your team, it’s upon you to set the direction of your team and provide them with the right environment where they can thrive, both as individuals and as a team.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can empower your team and become a servant leader your team respects and admires, contact Leadership Dynamics for exclusive leadership coaching programs, specifically designed to address the areas where you need support and improvement.
