Our world, country, state entities, public sector, and private corporations are plagued by the systemic corruption and unethical behaviour of leaders who always put their own individual interests before the interests of those that they are supposed to lead. We are desperate for good examples of leaders who lead with integrity, vision, and hope. We have become desensitised towards leaders who abuse power and alienate the people they are supposed to lead. As employees, we expect social isolation, bullying, toxic emotional manipulation, unethical practices, and basically the violation of our emotional wellbeing. We accept all of this for our monthly remuneration and quietly tell ourselves that we need to be grateful that we have a job.
How do we solve this problem? The answer is quite simple, really, and many thought leaders, government, and corporate leaders are awakening to this simple answer. Those who had the answer are reviving the answer, and those who were practicing the answer are using our current reality to renew this simple answer. The answer is “Servant Leadership”.
Research in all sectors, across all industries and all cultural societies, proves that if you long to build a sustainable entity, with an environment that enables people through psychological safety, that engages talent to its full potential and brings about great financial reward, you only have one option; and that is Servant Leadership. Servant Leadership is the essence and foundation of the culture in any thriving environment, team and organisation.
In all the organisations where we have consulted, trained, and coached, leaders who apply the principles and practices of servant leadership are the role models, the mentors, and these leaders build highly engaged teams that deliver extraordinary results. We do not state this lightly: We have never met a leader who excels in relationships and results that does not subscribe to servant leadership. The best leaders are servant leaders, they might not realise it at first, but as we discuss the theory of servant leadership with these leaders, they strongly identify with it.
MISCONCEPTIONS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
If Servant Leadership is the answer to our current leadership crises, why has it not been applied more consistently within organisations? Why do universities and business schools not educate our leaders with the core practices and principles of servant leadership? We believe the reason for the neglect of servant leadership has been because of misconceptions about it. One of our blue-chip clients has taken many of their key executive leaders through a servant leadership programme and, in the process, developed an absolute disdain for servant leadership. When we looked at the content of the programme, we realised that servant leadership was misrepresented as a soft and fluffy approach to managing people with no clear picture of what servant leadership entails.
Servant Leadership has been misrepresented in the past by well-meaning consulting firms and, therefore, many misconceptions about servant leadership do the rounds. Many leaders get the idea that they will now have to hold hands and sing “kumbaya” with their teams and give them marital advice. Based on our research, here are some of the most common misconceptions managers and leaders have of servant leadership:
- I cannot be too hard on my people; therefore, I cannot hold them accountable.
- I must constantly be there for my people, basically become their slave.
- I must allow people to speak their mind in meetings.
- I must listen to the personal problems of my people.
- I will not be able to control my team as a servant leader, giving them all this freedom.
- People will abuse/misuse me if I care too much.
- People will slack if I become a servant leader because they won’t respect me.
- I cannot work with clear goals, as this will put pressure on my people.
As a leader, the mentioned misconceptions create myths about the way servant leaders practice their leadership, and if this were my perception of the reality of servant leadership, I would not be an advocate or a fan.
WHAT IS SERVANT LEADERSHIP?
Servant Leadership proposes that the first task of the leader is to serve all the constituencies that he or she is responsible for. How does the leader create an environment for people to minimise obstacles to performance, rather than contribute towards creating obstacles for performance? This is a question that the servant leader is constantly asking!
The servant leader sees their role as an enabler. How do I get my people to perform? How do I assist my people in being/doing better? The servant leader has the conviction that I am here for these people, and they are not here for me. The focus is on giving, rather than gaining. The question is not what I can get, but what is my most significant contribution?
In academic research, we find that servant leadership is a blend of transformational, authentic, and spiritual leadership. Servant leadership espouses to bring positive change, with a leader that is honest and transparent, and that brings meaning and hope to those that they lead.
Academic researchers Sen Sendjaya, James Sarros and Joseph Santora developed the Servant Leadership Behavioural Scale which gives us six dimensions that describe the servant leader:
Academic researchers Sen Sendjaya, James Sarros, and Joseph Santora developed the Servant Leadership Behavioural Scale, which gives us six dimensions that describe the servant leader:
- Voluntary submission – the primary disposition of the leader is to serve. That is their position from where they approach the task and duty of leadership
- Authentic Self – they are humble, live with integrity, are accountable to their teams, are secure, and therefore prepared to be vulnerable.
- Covenantal Relationships – they accept people as they are; they are available to their teams, treats everybody with equality, and work best through collaboration.
- Responsible Morality – they can reason well and then act accordingly. They look for what is best for all constituencies that they serve.
- Transcendental Spirituality – their religion, philosophy, and faith are key to their leadership. They believe all are interconnected; there is meaning, mission, and hope in what their people do.
- Transforming Influence – they bring vision and model the vision to others. They mentor, empower, and engender trust.
Imagine a world where more and more people see leadership as an opportunity to serve others with humility, integrity, and transparency, developing trust by building deep relationships with their teams, keeping everybody honest with a clear moral code, providing them with a sense of meaning and calling for their everyday jobs, only to transform individuals, groups and organisations with a clear and compelling vision.
This is the kind of world I want to live in, a world where leaders live to serve. This is the kind of company I want to work for, where I am not just a number, but my life matters and makes a meaningful contribution. This is the work of servant leaders, and we are desperate for more servant leaders.
THE PRACTICES OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
The practices of servant leadership are learnable, transferable, and comprehendible. The value of servant leadership practices is that they are simple and easy to adopt. There are several case studies of business turnarounds that could not have happened, had it not been for the transformation of the company culture, through servant leadership. The core practices of servant leadership are:
- Listening, healing, reflection, gratitude, celebration, vision casting, stewardship, meaning-making, coaching, mentoring, persuasion, feedback and accountability, adaptability, developing, and innovation.
The impact of these practices has been published widely by academic journals across the globe. These practices lead to a culture that is characterised by:
- trust, support, collaboration, empowerment, engagement, risk, learning, agility, performance, citizenship, entrepreneurship, resilience, purpose, community, and sacrifice.
Bottom line: Servant Leadership creates a culture that unleashes and grows the potential in the room.
CONCLUSION
In our current reality, the only option on the table to rehumanise the individual, the community, the workplace, and the country is servant leadership. In the words of one of our greatest servant leaders Albert Luthuli: “It is inevitable that in working for freedom, some individuals and some families must take the lead and sacrifice.”
The servant leader knows that growth, development, transformation, and performance come through sacrificing their power at the altar of service.
Author and Contributor: Hermann Du Plessis – Founder & Director @ TTLI (LinkedIn Bio https://www.linkedin.com/in/hermann-du-plessis-01b17618/)