The Servant Leadership – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #971

The Servant Leadership – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #971

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post 971 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here.

Credit: Matheus Bertelli

Credit: Werner Pfennig

This post is based on multiple searches; some of the links are given under references.

The Concept of Servant Leadership

The term ‘servant leadership’ was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in an essay titled ‘The Servant as Leader’ that was first published in 1970. Greenleaf said, “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”.

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and wellbeing of people and the communities to which they belong. The servant-leader shares power, puts the need of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

Greenleaf recognized that organizations could also be servant-leaders. In his second major essay ‘The Institution as Servant’, he wrote, “This is my thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person, now most of it is mediated through institutions – often large, complex, powerful, impersonal; not always competent; sometimes corrupt. If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them”.

Principals of Servant Leadership

Greenleaf and many later researchers/ thinkers have discussed 7 to 10 principals of servant-leadership. We shall look at each one in some detail.

Listening

Top of the list in every literature is listening. Some say they listen first and speak last. Whichever way we put it, listening is an extremely desirable and much-needed skill. Servant leaders listen actively to their team members and seek to understand their perspectives and needs. They give ample opportunity for all members to be heard and listen carefully to what is being said and potentially what is not being said. By gathering observations and insight from all team members, servant leaders understand growth opportunities for the organization and the team members.

Empathy

Servant leaders are highly aware and emotionally intelligent. They are able to put themselves in other people’s shoes and empathize with their experiences. They understand that when their team feels happy and fulfilled, it contributes to success in their professional lives. They value others’ perspectives and approach situations with an open mind.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to look at yourself, think deeply about your emotions and behavior, and consider how they affect the people around you. Effective servant leaders are aware of themselves and their teams. In being self-aware, servant leaders accept and grow out of their own weaknesses. They are also aware of their team members’ individual strengths and weaknesses and help them learn and grow.

Trust

Servant leaders build a high degree of trust, not through management courses or compelling speeches, but by acting with integrity. They stand by their promises and make decisions with other peoples’ interests at heart. Trust goes both ways; servant leaders trust their direct reports to do their job without rigid directives and micromanagement.

Conceptualization

Servant leaders can think beyond small tasks and communicate larger goals and why these are important for their teams. They help the team members understand their roles and stay motivated while focusing on the company’s objectives and goals.

Putting Others First

Servant leaders never assume the central place and rather put the team members in limelight by giving them credit for the achievements. The appreciation thus received becomes a major source of motivation which makes team members perform even better than before. For awards, rewards, and taking up new projects, the same people-first approach helps to keep the team inspired and busy.

Persuasion

Servant leaders guide and persuade team members. They ensure that they have the buy-in from the team and their teams then go on to deliver exceptional results. Rather than telling the team what to do, they tell them why it is the best for them, thereby reinforcing understanding and ownership.

Stewardship

Servant leaders acknowledge and understand the importance of their responsibilities. They protect and uphold the confidence given to them for their role and communicate the same to their team. As steward of their company’s goals and resources, they work hard, arrive on time, and are dependable. They lead by example, demonstrating values and behaviors they want to see in others.

Growth

Servant leaders are committed to growth in all areas, business objectives, corporate goals, and people. They motivate their teams to achieve outstanding results and become excellent professionals. As they are able to build great teams which are fully motivated and professionally sound, they are able to achieve extraordinary results.

Why Become a Servant Leader?

Becoming a servant leader is not a moral pursuit; it has practical benefits.

Servant leaders ensure better business performance and greater profitability by focusing on achievement and cutting wastages. The high level of trust between the leader and the team leads to a confident and courageous group who work together to achieve big. The working environment is highly congenial, and everyone feels motivated to work. The employees not only take ownership but also bring more innovation and creativity.

True, that servant leadership is demanding and time consuming. Sometimes decision making may tend to become slow due to consensus building, and such leaders may face criticism from peers if everyone else is a traditional leader. The same peers may consider servant leaders as weak. Remaining a servant leader requires a high degree of transparency, authenticity, and vulnerability which some people may find uncomfortable.

Having said that, servant leadership is more compatible with today’s world where most workers are knowledge workers who possess sophisticated knowledge and skills. Such workers cannot be hauled around with instructions only. It will be difficult to build and maintain teams and ensure results through autocratic leadership style.

Starting from Robert Greenleaf, many researchers and authors have written about the virtues of servant leadership. Among the present writers and speakers, Simon Sinek is very prominent. He has written two books, ‘Start with Why’ and ‘Leaders Eat Last’ and regularly speaks on this subject. He has great following on social media also.

How to Become a Servant Leader?

Following these steps can help to develop the skills of a servant leader.

Lead by Example – Always lead your team by example and be willing to do what you ask your team to do. When your team members see you putting in the same amount of effort, they will be motivated to engage in their work and organization.

Make People Feel Important – Be adept in making your team feel their voices and opinions matter. Take steps to encourage your team to work together and show them you care about what they have to say and appreciate their contributions.

Help Team Develop and Grow – Servant leaders are great leaders by themselves and help their team members to develop and grow to become great leaders. Encourage your team to participate in continuing education and employee development programs to help them expand their knowledge and skills.

Take Personal Care – Show your team members that you care about them on a personal level. Be empathetic and offer advice to help them attain a more positive work life balance and help them cope with personal stress better. Treat them as individuals and not just employees.

Ask for Feedback – Encourage your team members to provide feedback about your own leadership; you may find clues to improve further. Motivate them to give feedback on how the workplace is doing and ask for suggestions to improve environment and achievement.

By acting upon these steps, you will be able to become the kind of leader people shall love to work for and be with.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intention to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, however, it happens unintentionally, I offer my sincere regrets.

Reference:

https://www.atlassian.com/blog/leadership/you-got-served-redefining-what-it-means-to-be-a-leader 

https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

https://positivepsychology.com/servant-leadership/

https://www.shrm.org/executive-network/insights/servant-leadership-philosophy-people-first-leadership

https://helpfulprofessor.com/servant-leadership-examples-characteristics/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/servant-leadership

https://jambarteambuilding.com/what-is-servant-leadership/