Servant Leaders

Why is Servant Leadership the Future of Today’s Business Environment?

With the ever-evolving corporate landscape, there is a huge transformation in the way organizations operate, the behavior of team members and leadership tactics. These days, people assuming leadership roles are mostly from Generation X. This generation was born in the 1980s, have witnessed 2008’s global financial crisis, high corporate layoffs, and witnessed toxic leadership styles from their parents, etc. As a result, emerging leaders understand the importance of empathy, as well as serving peers, while leading them.

The Impact Of Altruism On A Servant Leadership Culture

Servant leadership is the backbone of many leadership development programs today. While the leadership philosophy is too complicated and involved to learn by glancing over an article, it is possible to identify servant leadership’s ties to altruism and how that connection can help in boosting servant leader culture. Altruism Defined Altruism is the practice of putting others before your own interests, even if that means putting yourself in danger or at risk. However, despite Darwin’s own definition, altruistic behavior should not be confused with benevolence or pro-social behavior because these mentalities seek reward for a kind action. For example, helping a stranger find their lost dog or an elderly person cross the road can present sacrifices and risk to yourself, but if you are only doing these things to make yourself look better to someone else, then these behaviors are considered pro-social and not altruistic. Pro-social behavior is defined as doing something kind or good with the expectation of an external reward, like recognition or money. Pro-social behavior, however, also should not be confused with benevolent behavior, which seeks an intrinsic reward for doing good. For example, someone might donate all of their cash to a charitable organization, which is self-sacrificing, but they do it because they know it will make them feel good, not purely to help. Therefore, how you perceive a situation or kind act is what deter- mines the mentality behind the decision Altruism, then, is synonymous with selflessness to a degree. It is about putting the needs of others above your own without expectation of reward or gratitude. In terms of servant leadership and organizational culture, altruism is the concern for the growth and development of the company without the added agenda of self-interest. In other words, a servant leader’s focus is on the company and others. This ambition is driven by the desire to grow the company and others first, not by the want or need for personal recognition, promotion and compensation. Altruism and Leadership Skills and Development The scientific study of altruism identifies an evolutionary drive toward compassion and selfless behavior, though this does not mean that such behavior will manifest as dominant. In several studies, researchers noted that people often feel the need to help or make others feel better, even if it means sacrificing their own interests. For example, imagine two children sitting on a park bench, each with their own ice cream cone. One child drops their ice cream on the ground and begins to cry. The other child observes the situation and then gives their ice cream to the other child. In children, altruism is often a reactionary practice—it is not guided by substantial debate over the pros and cons. However, as people age and higher intrinsic value is placed on material things and emotional balance, altruistic tendencies become less dominant. Yes, some people will still hand over an ice cream cone without considering how it affects their life, but many others will not. Does this mean altruism is dead? No Altruism, while part of a person’s conscious makeup, is still a skill or ideology. Therefore, it is something that needs to be honed and practiced. Similar to servant leadership, which comprises many inherent traits and philosophies, such as empathy, listening and community, altruism is a learned skill. Altruism and Servant Leadership What does servant leadership mean to you and your organization? While often used to define a company’s leadership quality, the term is frequently mischaracterized or used to describe a plethora of management skills, which dilutes the meaning of the phrase. How should servant leaders be described and why? Servant leadership is, by definition, altruistic. However, that also depends on how you interpret the definition of altruism. For example, while servant leaders have a deep desire to help others and the company with- out expectation of personal gain, they do also require employees to perform! Does that limit their altruistic nature? Sometimes self-sacrifice is necessary for the good of the team; other times, it is counterproductive. Therefore, can a servant leader be truly altruistic? I believe that they can, and there are several reasons why: Desire to serve a greater goal Drive to help others succeed Compassion and empathy Not motivated by external or intrinsic reward Altruism and Martyrdom Many professionals will describe the quality of a good leader by listing those traits that make servant leadership such a sought-after management style—empathy, listening, fore- sight, etc. However, one term that is often left off of the servant leader list but tacked on to altruism is “martyr.” This tie to martyrdom is likely the reason that some business execs do not like to be classified as altruistic because they feel it makes them appear soft. Therefore, is martyrdom a requirement of altruism and by association servant leaders? No. While altruism is defined in terms of selflessness, it is not necessarily the same as self-sacrificing. This is especially true in the world of business and communications. Sometimes a leader must take the blame for certain mistakes made by their team, often in an effort to help the team grow. However, when one team member makes a mistake that compromises the whole, it is necessary to think of the good of the group. Therefore, while selflessness is an essential element of helping employees grow and develop, self-sacrifice is not always needed. Altruism and Organizational Success Servant leadership is not only about management style, but it is also an ideology dedicated to the development of an altruistic culture with a focus on organizational success. The idea is that, as employees experience managers who are compassion- ate and involved in employee development and corporate growth and excellence, those principles will rub off and develop future leaders and further success. Altruistic principles help to propel corporate culture forward by demonstrating the importance and contribution of every employee. However, servant leadership goes beyond internal culture and communications. It can also be used to boost brand loyalty through customer service and representative interactions with consumers and clients.

Why is Effective Communication Crucial to Become a Servant Leader?

Servant leadership can be defined as a leadership philosophy that focuses on service as the primary objective of a leader. This is contrary to traditional leadership where the success of an organization or company is the leader’s primary concern. Therefore, a servant leader puts the needs of his or her team members first, helping them develop and perform their best. It is also important to note that effective communication is at the center of every successful servant leader. Below is a rundown of some aspects of effective communication and how they can help you to develop and become a better servant leader. Understanding Yourself Self-awareness is an integral part of effective communication. If you don’t understand something yourself, it would be unfair to expect your team to understand something you do not. As a servant leader, you must be aware of your inner monologue. This will go a long way in preventing you from becoming frustrated with other team members, appearing unsure, discriminatory, or assuming other people can read your mind. It is also imperative for you to be fully aware of what you would like to achieve from each of your interactions with your team, in order for you to tailor your message accordingly. Understand Your Team Effective communication develops when properly understanding the people you are talking with. As a servant leader, you need to understand your team members in terms of the things that motivate them while also understanding their preferred learning and communication styles. These understandings have the effect of enabling you to adapt your message in a way that makes your communication more effective. Creating personal connections with your team members also facilitates empathy, which consequently makes it easier for people to build trust. However, you need remember that such connections must be genuine and not exploitative in nature. Being Respectful and Positive This may sound like a no-brainer, but sadly, that’s not always the case. As a servant leader, you need a strategy for cultivating loyalty which will in turn, boost the performance of your team. Being respectful and positive in your communication is one of the most important things you must do. Avoid holding your status over members of your team or using fear and coercion to get things done. Instead, incorporate an ego-less, positive, and honest attitude when leading your team. In other words, you will get better results as a servant leader if you serve as a cheerleader as opposed to serving as an autocrat. Focusing on Non-Verbal Communication In some interactions, you can learn more from what is not said than from what is said. In other words, the importance of non-verbal communication in servant leadership cannot be overemphasized. Non-verbal cues, such as posture, hand movements, eye contact and facial expressions can all play an important role in determining the effectiveness of your message. Therefore, as a servant leader, you need to pay attention to your own body language and that of the people you are talking to. You need to ensure that your non-verbal cues are consistent with what you are saying verbally. This will go a long way in helping you to become a trustworthy communicator in addition to portraying integrity by showing that you believe in your own message. Listening Carefully Modeling active listening is one of the most effective ways of encouraging honest and open communication in a team. As a servant leader, you need to pay attention when a member of your team is speaking to you. To demonstrate that you are really listening, ask follow-up questions. This can also help you to minimize the chances of miscommunication. It is beneficial to come into conversations with an open mind and be thoughtful when responding to what people are saying instead of responding to their suggestions with kneejerk reactions. This goes a long way in helping build rapport between you and your team, which will enable you to establish yourself as an ideal servant leader. Being Direct and Concise Being able to deliver clear-cut messages in a concise way is an important aspect of effective communication. As a servant leader, you need to communicate in a way that makes it easy for people to understand what you want to achieve. That means your instructions need to be clear, with no room for misinterpretation. In this way, you will be in a great position to get your team to accomplish the goals set with maximum efficiency. The Takeaway As we can see, servant leadership is an effective way of getting your team to perform optimally and meet its objectives in the most efficient way possible. Explore Etech’s blogs to learn more about other integral aspects of servant leadership. No doubt, it is clear that knowing how to effectively communicate with your team members is one of the most important skills you can have, as a true, servant leader. If you would like to become an ideal servant leader, it’s important to consider these steps of effective communication when leading others to reach their goals, achieving personal and corporate success.

Servant Leadership: The Ultimate Way to Connect Effectively with Your People

As leaders, we find honor and inspiration in what we do. However, that might not always be the case with all of our valued team members. According to a survey by Hays, 43% of people in the US claim that an inspiring corporate culture is the main reason for their search for a new job. Many people prefer to leave a job because they don’t feel valued by their immediate leader. In the book, Managing from the Heart, the authors address five-time tested habits that true servant leaders possess. It was very encouraging to me to see how these activities aligned very nicely with Etech’s leadership character commitments. I encourage leaders of organizations reading this piece of writing to examine your consistency in these areas and to ask your peers to give you feedback as well. If you need to make some improvements then get after it, the sooner the better! You will be glad that you did. Hear and understand It is almost impossible to really listen to someone and not be preparing a mental response as they speak. When we do this, we miss all that is being said! Next time you are in a discussion with a peer, team member or customer, focus on listening to understand first, and then responding. Even if you disagree, don’t judge them wrongly One thing is for certain in the fast paced world of BPO, construction and hospitality companies, etc., mistakes will be made! Peter Luongo, the retired president of the Berry Company once told me, “You are going to make 100 decisions in a week, if you get more than 50% of them right, you are doing okay!” The fact is that all of us will make mistakes. Mistakes should be addressed, corrected and the learning captured. What we must not do is judge the person. What we have to do is coach the behavior. Acknowledge the greatness within all Our job as a leader is to fix what is broken. The fact is that we spend 90% of our time fixing things. However, it is just as critical that we find ways to recognize the greatness in others. Greatness is not isolated to our top performers, there is greatness in everyone! Your responsibility is to look for it and recognize it! Maybe you have a team member who is always there on time, maybe someone who encourages others on the team when they are down, or maybe you have a team member who is great at cooking brownies or banana pudding on pot luck days. Whatever the greatness, find it and embrace it. Remember to look for good intentions Unless negatively influenced by their environment, people will tend to do their best. But remember, everybody’s best is not the same! Great leaders understand “will versus skill”. The will is the intention. We can and always should work with team members who have good intentions (or will). Even if they fail on one campaign, we have enough diversity of programs within our centers that we should be able to find them a good place on a different program. Tell the truth with compassion Confrontation is a necessary part of coaching and it should never be needlessly delayed or avoided. It should, however, be conducted with genuine concern and compassion for the team member. This can be accomplished in three basic steps. First, speak directly to the person; do not talk about them to others. Second, after addressing the behavior, listen to understand their side. Third, discuss and agree on a plan of attack to fix the behavior and then inspect daily to ensure that the plan is working. In order to continue to grow your business and be in a position to impact more lives, you must find a way to do a better job of keeping your good ones. I do not believe that there is one single fix out there. I do believe that it will take everyone in an organization being committed to doing all things (big or small) in a way that reflects the leadership commitments. If applied, the ideas listed above will take your organization one more step ahead in the journey. Until next time, may you continue to make a remarkable difference in the lives of the people you touch each day.

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