what is Servant Leadership and their Benefit
The concept of servant leadership has evolved extensively over the years, as leaders have
started realizing that the servitude philosophy is more beneficial for the company’s growth and
success. Organizations are constantly analyzing and improving the relationships between the
leaders and their followers to develop more profitable leadership styles.
Even today, the concept of leadership reminds us of a pyramid structure in which the leader sits
at the top and passes orders to the subordinates, telling them what to do. However, it’s time to
change our practices and have a more people-first attitude. This is the only way we can actually
help others grow and build more such submissive leaders.
Role of Servant Leadership in the Organization
Servant leadership, as the name implies, is a management style that gives importance to the
personal as well as professional growth of the team. The theory focuses on the development
and well-being of each team member and puts their needs and preferences first. In the servant
leadership style, it’s the leader who serves the employees and not the other way round.
In this theory, the manager or the leader believes that unless each team member is able to grow
and feel fulfilled in their own personal and professional areas, we should not expect efficiency
and high-quality work from the team as a whole. To boost the company’s growth and success,
we need to focus on employee satisfaction and develop more collaborative and engaging work
cultures.
Servant leadership is necessary for every business as it creates a positive and healthy work
environment, wherein every employee feels fulfilled both professionally and personally. It further
helps to boost employee morale by ensuring that they feel valued and appreciated at all levels.
Such a healthy work culture creates more engagement and motivation in the workplace, which
are the key factors contributing to the organization’s prosperity.
Characteristics of an Ideal Servant Leader
Now that we know that servant leadership plays a crucial role in the organization, let’s have a
look at the characteristics of ideal servant leaders –
- They have an employee-first attitude and put the needs and pain points of the
employees first. - They share and distribute the power equally among team players, thus developing a
tighter and more collaborative team. - They are good listeners and let their team members speak up about their issues. This
creates a sense of belonging among the employees. - They give importance to the individual opinions of every team player, building a positive
work environment. - They practice awareness to understand the pleasure and pain points of their employees.
- They empathize with their personal or professional challenges and try to help them cope
with bad times. - They are able to define the short- and long-term goals and communicate them effectively
among the team to bring all the team members on the same page. - They practice stewardship to take the responsibility of guiding the team towards the right
path. They are responsible for building trust and upholding confidence among their team
players. - They care for their team members and pledge to protect their physical and mental health
and well-being.
So, if you are willing to follow effective servant leadership practices in your organization, make
sure to –
- Be an example of a great leader and humble human being first.
- Encourage employee engagement and collaboration to build a healthier work culture.
- Show your team members their importance and the vital role they have in their particular
job. - Take care of the personal and professional challenges of your team members by
allowing them to voice their concerns individually. - Encourage the personal and professional growth and development of your team players.
- Ask for feedback from your employees about how they feel at the workplace, and
whether they have any suggestions for creating better work cultures. - Help them contribute and share their own opinions without hesitating. Show them that
their opinions are valuable to the organization. - Make your employees feel that you are always there for them.
Benefits of Efficient Servant Leadership
Here’s why every organization needs to practice an efficient servant leadership theory.
Boosts the Self-Confidence and Motivation Among Employees
According to studies, 47% of Americans feel that they are doing a particular job for the sole
purpose of earning a living. It’s sad how a vast majority of the country’s citizens feel unfulfilled or
unsatisfied in their current positions.
This is where the role of servant leadership comes into play. As mentioned earlier, a servant
leader helps employees to focus on their self-growth and self-development by acquiring new
skills and knowledge. As opposed to carrying out the same old monotonous tasks every day at
work, developing additional skill sets will help them take up more responsibilities and work on
more interesting projects.
It will not only enhance their self-confidence and motivation but also boost the overall efficiency
and productivity of the teams. The very thought of trying and learning something new at the
workplace is exciting for them, which will encourage them to accomplish their tasks faster and
more efficiently.
Increases the Growth and Productivity of the Organization
With a serving attitude, leaders can help their team members feel more respected and valued. It
will further boost their willingness to give back to their caring leaders with high-quality work, thus
enhancing the productivity of the organization as a whole.
The best thing about servant leadership is it doesn’t support micromanagement policies, as they
tend to bring down the morale and confidence of the employees and create trust issues
between the employees and their leaders. Servant leaders help their group members to learn
flexibly and have the freedom to explore new things.
If employees aren’t given the required flexibility to acquire new knowledge and skill set, they
won’t be able to provide valuable inputs or explore better ways of accomplishing a certain task.
This, in turn, will give them the confidence and freedom to solve challenges on their own without
having to depend on their leaders every time, thus saving time and effort.
Enhances Employee Loyalty
Since servant leadership, unlike the traditional management styles, enables employees to feel
more engaged and motivated in their work, they feel more confident in making better decisions.
This develops among the teams a strong sense of personal and professional fulfillment, as
every member’s efforts are appreciated and recognized.
Since the servant leadership theory focuses on putting the needs and accomplishments of the
employees first, it encourages them to work collaboratively towards achieving a particular goal.
Further, it develops employee engagement and loyalty, which can escalate the organization's
success. Besides, loyalty among the team players also increases the organization’s employee
retention rates and brings in more talented people on board, thus developing a healthier and
more cohesive work culture.
Creates More Agile Organizations
An agile organization includes a comprehensive and condensed network of highly-empowered
teams, working collaboratively with high standards of expertise, accountability, collaboration,
and transparency. To be able to create such an agile team, leaders need to ensure that their
employees are able to work in a positive, highly-motivated, and stable environment.
To create more agile teams, servant leaders work towards building authority and credibility
among team players through positive influence rather than through hierarchical powers. They
facilitate efficient communication and team engagement among the workers and coach them to
work together towards a particular goal. By creating better employees and expertise, servant
leaders are able to boost an agile transformation for the organization.
Final Thoughts
Servant Leadership plays a significant role in the growth and development of every team
member, as well as the organization as a whole. With an employee-first and serving attitude,
ideal servant leaders are able to put aside their own needs and egos for the welfare of their
teams. It’s time to chain down the age-old dominating management styles and adopt a more
serving attitude for the growth and welfare of the organization and its employees.
Pragna Solutions is a reliable staffing consultant that has helped organizations strategize and
develop servant leadership. With innovative data driven insights and human expertise, we can
help you overcome any challenges in your business to help you maximize business productivity.
To know more about our wide range of consulting and outsourcing services, you may visit our
website.
Pragna Solutions has been an active recruiter over the past many years. There has been increased remote job posting since 2019. Not only the employees but the employers are welcoming remote work culture as well.