Written by: Tania Friedlander, 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.
History of Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is a term that has been especially prevalent in leadership development in the last 50 years but is a concept which has existed as far back as humans have organized in tribes and societies. Robert K. Greenleaf published an essay in 1970 titled The Servant as Leader, in which he wrote:
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.
“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“
While this is the earliest known appearance of the term in Western literature, servant leadership can be considered something of a universal concept, because it has roots in both Eastern and Western cultures, researchers say. In the East, ancient Chinese philosophers such as Lao Tzu believed that when the best leaders finished their work, their people would say “we did it ourselves.”
While the concept of servant leadership has existed for a long time, it is now more thoroughly defined, and it’s clearer how it differs from traditional leadership.
Traditional vs Servant Leadership
Traditional leadership encourages people to fulfill the responsibilities of their jobs and provides them with guidance, direction, and motivation to that end. The goal of traditional leadership is to improve the position of the company in stature and finances.
Servant leadership is when the primary orientation, goal, and responsibility of the leader is to provide service by concentrating on employees. This helps shift productivity into high gear, inspires better results, fosters a fulfilling work environment, and generates team satisfaction on a job well done.
Outcomes: Which is Better?
Ultimately, servant leadership fulfills the goal which traditional leadership also aspires to: to improve the stature and profitability of the company. Employees in a servant leadership environment are more likely to feel that their voice is heard, which in turn makes them 4.6 times more likely to work to the best of their abilities. While traditional leadership is built for fulfilling the transactional aspects of management in a hierarchical, profit-driven structure, servant leadership moves beyond that and seeks to align employee purpose with company mission. This is accomplished through focusing on the growth and well-being of people and communities.
While traditional leadership is geared toward putting one at the “top of the pyramid”, servant leadership is often depicted with an inverse pyramid — where the leader sits at the bottom and puts the development and performance of their people first.
You may have heard Simon Sinek’s famous TED Talk: “Start with Why”. The idea behind this is that having a “why” is a far greater motivator for people than the “how” or the “what”. When people have a why they can align with the mission and work far better rowing in the same direction. It takes a servant leader to unlock these capabilities.
Techniques of Servant Leadership
Asking the right questions
Listening to understand
Empathy
Persuasion
Conceptualization
Strategy & Foresight
Stewardship
People development
Community-building
Reflection Questions
What are your thoughts on these different types of leadership approaches?
Have you ever been at work, and someone in leadership leaves and suddenly everything changes? The work environment feels completely different, work is longer, and you don't feel like your needs matter?
How could servant leadership help your team be more successful?
Tania Friedlander, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Tania is an attorney by training and a former champion athlete.
She has trained at world-leading coaching institutions. She is an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and a Certified Gallup Global Strengths Coach.
She is driven by her passion for helping individuals break through their challenges, whether professional or personal. She has the privilege of working with executives and emerging leaders from global Fortune 500 companies using evidence-based coaching assessments, frameworks, and tools. Her approach is designed to increase connectivity, awareness, and accountability to elevate the internal dynamic, increase morale, and enhance workplace culture. She is also on the executive team at SteerUs, the world's first soft skills academy, and has led many workshops and seminars on leveraging strengths.
