The greatest leaders create team environments of flourishing and thriving. They do this by embodying three leadership characteristics before anything else: they are Servants, Shepherds, and Stewards.
In this first post of a three-part series, we discuss that…
The greatest leaders are servants!
Out With The Old, In With Better
These three characteristics are the “new” style of leadership that gets results! They are contrary to out-of-date leadership styles, like authoritarian leadership. Authoritarian leadership believes that people will automatically listen to them and do what they say because they’re the leader. That style of leadership is OLD and doesn’t work any longer.
People won’t want to work for you if you’re an authoritarian leader. You won’t get the greatest output from your team if you lead like this. You won’t get the greatest results if you lead like this. And you won’t be fulfilled if you lead like this. It just doesn’t work!
Here’s what’s better…
Great Leadership Is Serving
I believe great leaders create environments where people flourish and thrive.
Great leaders don’t look at their leadership through the lens of power, control, importance, respect, ego, hierarchy, title, or salary. Great leaders look at leadership as a responsibility to serve…to serve their team members so they can thrive, succeed, and achieve great things.
It’s not about you, it’s about your team.
Great leaders look at leadership as a responsibility to serve…to serve their team members so they can thrive, succeed, and achieve great things. Great leaders are servants! #GreatLeadersAreServants Share on XHumility
My favorite description of humility is “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
Great leaders embody humility. You can embody humility by thinking about yourself less and thinking more about your team members; consider your team members as more significant than yourself. Have the perspective that your team will function best when you make it your responsibility to make your team successful, and not that your team’s responsibility is to make you successful. This requires serving and giving to your team, not being served and taking from your team.
Great leaders embody humility. You can embody humility by thinking about yourself less and thinking more about your team members; consider your team members as more significant than yourself. #GreatLeadersAreServants Share on XAn Upside Down Operation
Your organizational chart probably shows a hierarchy with you above your team. Great leaders operate in the opposite manner, as if the hierarchy was an upside down pyramid with themselves on the bottom serving those that they lead. Make this your perspective too.
A Servant Defined
My favorite definition of “servant” is this: “a devoted and helpful supporter who attends to the needs of those they serve.” Let’s break this down and highlight the four key words in this definition. Servants are…
- Devoted – They are loyal, all-in, and committed.
- Helpful – They are caring, thoughtful, and sympathetic.
- Supporter – They are an advocate, encourager, and champion.
- Attends – They look after, pay attention, and act.
You Can Do It Now
I believe your job as a leader is to release greatness in your team, not for your team to release greatness in you. To achieve such a lofty end, this requires you being a servant. It’s the only way.
The great thing about this is that you can do it easily and immediately. It doesn’t require a particular skill that you must devote hours to learning. Rather, serving is a posture and attitude you adopt. As Nike says, “Just do it.” Start serving your team now.
Serving To Succeed
Let’s be honest…this can be scary for some leaders, really scary! If this isn’t your current approach, you may feel like you will lose control, visibility, or opportunity. You may feel like you’ll have to take a backseat and won’t be noticed, recognized, or rewarded.
But the grace and beauty of this approach is that if you serve others well and set them up for success, success and glory and rewards come back to you in abundance. Zig Ziglar said “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” Focus on serving your team and helping them, and you will get all the success you want in your career.
Go Serve
The greatest leaders come to serve, not to be served.
Leaders, go be great and be servants!
Focus on serving your team and helping them, and you will get all the success you want in your career. The greatest leaders come to serve, not to be served. #GreatLeadersAreServants Share on XCheck out my post Lead As A Service for more on this topic.
Photo by Kevin Gent on Unsplash