To be better Servant Leader, Know and improve your EQ| Agile Story 33
To a layman “Servant Leader” seems like an oxymoron. How can the leader be the servant? When we think of a leader, the image that conjures up in front of our eyes is that of a person with lot of followers. People willing to do whatever they say. Then how can they be servants?
“Servant Leader” is an agile concept. Though it can be applied to all leaderships. A servant leader is the one who is at the service of his followers/team. Traditional leaders try to obtain good performance using power & control. Whereas Servant leader facilitates team functioning by driving engagement and thus improving performance. Servant leader needs to motivate people to do things without actually telling them what to do.
A key trait of a servant leader is high Emotional Intelligence (EQ). What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?
Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of those around you. The term was first coined in 1990 by researchers John Mayer and Peter Salovey but was later popularized by psychologist Daniel Goleman.
Emotional Intelligence has following five components,
1. Self-Awareness — Awareness about your own emotions & feelings.
2. Self-Regulation- Not letting your emotions press your buttons.
3. Empathy- Understanding emotions being felt by others.
4. Motivation- Having drive from within instead of being driven by external factors like money, reward etc.
5. Social Skills- Ability to build relationships, networks.
A leader who is aware about their own emotions ( self-awareness) and can control their emotions ( self-regulation) can gain trust of their team by responding to adverse situations rather than reacting to them. Empathy can help a leader gain respect of their team. A motivated leader can automatically inspire team members to perform better i.e., Lead by Example. All the above four factors help the leader to build better relationships within team as well outside of the team. The external relationships can help in resolving impediments of the team which is a crucial responsibility of the servant leader. The team with better internal relationship works with synergy and hence performs better.
In conclusion, a leader can improve their emotional intelligence to be a better servant leader. This will not only improve their own performance but also their team’s overall performance.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are my own and don’t reflect company’s opinion. They should not be considered as an advice or suggestion in any way.
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