Servant Leader or Just a Boss?
Which Are You?
Servant leader. Do these words belong together? Students of leadership styles may be familiar with the term, but those tasked with management duties may think the idea of a servant leader sounds silly. In reality, servant leadership is a simple and powerful concept. It’s one of the most important drivers of a focused, dedicated, and happy workforce.
Robert K. Greenleaf introduced the idea of servant leadership in his 1970 essay “The Servant as Leader.” In it he compares leader-first to servant-first philosophies. He describes the servant-first style as making sure “other’s highest priority needs are being served.” Greenleaf suggests a simple measurement for the servant-first style: Ask if those served “become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, [and] more likely themselves to become servants.”
Servant Leader: Let’s Simplify
This is all wonderful, but wordy definitions can make the idea less approachable. I prefer a simple, intuitive definition since servant leadership should come down to common sense.
The word “servant” doesn’t mean you make your employees coffee and get their lunches for them, although those are both nice gestures. Rather, the term acknowledges the simple fact that in order for any leader to succeed, those led must also succeed. The leader’s job is to serve the needs of both the organization for which she works and those of the team she leads. By making sure every employee has what he needs to do his job, the leader has served both that employee and the company well.
In one of my past jobs I asked my staff to think of themselves as famous athletes and me as their coach or assistant. It was my job to make sure I did everything possible to help that work. If they needed tools or information, I facilitated getting them. If they needed an advocate within the company, I would be that advocate. My purpose in these activities was to be as much of a servant leader as possible.
Hold up — What about my authority?!
This idea of servant leadership may make some nervous about undermining a manager’s authority. How can you maintain respect and control of employees if you serve their needs instead of demanding they serve yours? Shouldn’t the manager issue orders from his lavish corner office? Shouldn’t all the work get done exactly as he dictates? Surly a manager shouldn’t waste her highly-compensated time helping those under her, right?
Wrong. The secret is employees willingly and happily follow those they respect. There are few quicker ways to earn an employee’s respect than by helping him look good. We all know the feeling of having someone else take credit and get the rewards for our hard work. Contrast that with the uplifting feeling of a job well done and getting full credit for that work. Having our manager help us but then letting us take credit only magnifies positive feelings.
A leader facilitates and a boss dictates
It becomes worlds easier to achieve company goals with a team of people who respect you for your management style. If you help your employees succeed, they’ll work to help you succeed as well. Not only that, but your authority will remain completely intact. That’s because your servant attitude will earn you the legitimate right to make key decisions. Your team will honor your decisions not just because you’re the boss, but because they admire and trust you. In fact, if you earn their respect through proper leadership, your team would follow your advice even if you weren’t the boss.
That brings me to the intersection of being a boss and being a leader. I participated once in a discussion about leadership. Someone asked what the difference was between a leader and a boss. My response was that a leader facilitates and a boss dictates. I think this distinction serves as a nice and simple definition of servant leadership.
The last time you interacted with one of your employees, did you dictate or did you facilitate?
