Servant Leadership
Originally posted November 1, 2017
In Leadership Matters, Mary Abraham quoted Steven Covey: “This has changed the role of manager from one who drives results and motivation from the outside in, to one who is a servant-leader — one who seeks to draw out, inspire, and develop the best and highest within people from the inside out.” In another post, Mary quoted Zappos: “We believe that, in general, the best ideas and decisions are made from the bottom up, meaning by those who are on the front lines and closest to the issues and/or the customers. The role of a manager is to remove obstacles and enable his/her direct reports to succeed. This means the best leaders are servant-leaders. They serve those they lead.”
From Lessons in Leadership:
4. Servant leadership: Leaders should serve their people, not expect people to serve them. If all leaders followed this maxim, employee job satisfaction would increase significantly. Here are three books to not only read, but to put into practice:
- Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness by Robert K. Greenleaf
- The Serving Leader: Five Powerful Actions to Transform Your Team, Business, and Community by Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert
- Servant Leader: Transforming Your Heart, Head, Hands, & Habits by Ken Blanchard
From How to Be a Better Leader:
PATHBUILDERS
12. Serve — focus on supporting your team members with whatever they need
LEADERSHIP
7. Serve the people, the stakeholders, and the local community.
PICKLES
7. Service — serve your people, your organization, and your community
Eight Axioms
3. You can’t make yourself a leader by proclaiming that you are in charge. You must command respect through your words and deeds, leading by example, and serving others.
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