What is Servant Leadership?

Servant Leadership (SL) was first formally introduced by Robert Greenleaf in his influential 1970 essay “The Servant As Leader.“ SL has been practiced for centuries, reportedly beginning with Jesus. He was the first recorded Servant Leader, with his famous washing of feet. He also taught his disciples to be SLs. John 13:1–17 recounts Jesus‘ performance of this act. In verses 13:14–17, He instructs His disciples: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” So, he was leading by example, like a good Servant Leader.

From the field of Positive Psychology, Paul T. P. Wong emphasizes that meaning is all we need and relationships are all we have to create a positive workplace. “Positive leadership involves experiencing, modeling, and purposefully enhancing positive emotions. A positive leader is interested in his or her employees’ development as well as the bottom line. High self-awareness, optimism, and personal integrity.“ (Avolio & Gardner, 2005)

However, SL is more than positive management. It is:

• A desire to serve;
• Humble and ethical use of power;
• Being open to feedback;
• Teaching the need for regular self-improvement activities;
• The freedom to use any positive aspects of any leadership style besides command and control.

What are the main characteristics of a servant leader?

Here at Roos Advisors, we thought about breaking down all the essentials in becoming a successful servant leader.

      1. A desire to serve  

Make no mistake, this is not the mindset of a slave. It’s a mindset that says “I want to help people, I want to show love, as well as care for my team.” One easy way of looking at this might be when a person entertains their friends and family members – you serve them, but you aren’t their slave. It’s a choice you’ve made from the mindset of loving those invited. Using this example, your team members become your friends and family. 

      2. Going from “I” to “we” 

Using “We” instead of “I” as a way to be inclusive and show that the manager is just as part of the team as everyone else is key. Remember, each team member is unique and valuable in their own way.

      3. Showing people you care  

Stop and check on your team members who you may know are having issues with health, family, or friends. Make notes if you have to remind yourself to see how things are with them and if there’s anything you can do to help. There are lots of ways to do this, including remembering birthdays and anniversaries. You can get birthday dates from the HR department, or put a recurring reminder on your calendar about a week before each birthday to give yourself enough time to get a card or gift.

      4. Heart of a servant

Empathy is crucial to SLS; as well as, putting your ego aside. You’ll be called upon to show how you understand what your team members might be going through. Empathy is “walking a mile in someone else’s moccasins,” as they say. Listening is the best way to get to empathy. SLs must hone their listening skills. Active listening is a skill that can be learned.

      5. Enjoying being around people

There’s no way around this. SLs enjoy being around people, and they should be celebrating, laughing and enjoying the company of their team.

      6. Impeccable integrity

You’ve got to walk your talk. Strive to honor the commitment you’ve made to servant leadership in everything you say and do. Be impeccable with your word. Do not say you will do something without following through. Integrity builds trust and a high level of trust is needed within an SL team. Complete honesty and transparency are also parts of integrity that are important to an SL.

      7. Fair-minded  

No VIPs. Everyone is equally valuable. Watch how you treat different team members. If there’s someone you consider ‘a favorite,’ especially pay attention to how you treat them, and make sure they’re not receiving special treatment. Life is not always fair, but we can strive to make it as fair as possible. People look to leaders for fairness.

How can you become a Servant Leader?

First off, you have to work on your self-development, which SLs are always doing and encouraging their team to do as well. Sharing helpful resources with your team is one way to influence them to participate in self-improvement. 

You should also create a total mindset change from command and control leadership styles to collaboration, inclusion and mutual respect. Enjoy your team and you will be a happier and more fulfilled person. Caring for your people and really knowing them to the point where you can recognize their work in a personal way, instead of a generic “Thank you,” goes a long way in leadership.

One servant leader we know would always buy small personal gifts for each staff member from business trips. This signaled to the employees that she cared about them as individuals (personalized gifts), appreciated the uniqueness they bring to the team and appreciated what they did to keep things going while she was away.

Here are some other guidelines and tips if you’re looking to become a servant leader:

1. Be fair – no VIPs in SL teams.
2. Spend time connecting with employees to the point that you know them personally. and can clearly see the unique gifts they bring to the team.
3. Hold one-on-ones with staff once a week or month. Really listen.
4. Find unique value in every person.
5. Be on time to meetings. This shows respect.
6. Lead by example, hence:

• Keep your commitments. This shows integrity;
• Model the core values on a daily basis;
• Make eye contact when speaking with team members;
• Show gratitude in concrete, specific ways and on a regular basis;
• Avoid gossip and stop it when you can;

1. Approach every moment asking how you can add value (say it out loud – add this idea to the company culture and make it part of how the team thinks. Move away from “how can I get what I want/how can I win” to “how can I add value”?
2. Use every opportunity to explain the larger purpose of what you’re doing.
3. Spend time to communicate tasks clearly and take time to delegate properly. As a reminder, to properly delegate:

• Explain what you want to be done, when you want it done and the desired result;
• Explain why you want the job done and what obstacles your team may encounter;
• Define a “home run” for this job;
• Give the authority to the delegee to get the job done (communicate this to the team);
• Provide support and resources;
• Get their commitment and reiterate expectations;

1. Develop standards of behavior with your team that everyone can agree on.
2. Add joy to the day using silliness, a sense of humor, and jokes. Don’t forget to smile.

What are the main benefits of being a Servant Leader?

The main benefits of SL are reduced turnover, increased employee engagement, and flexibility in leadership methods. When the practices of servant leadership were implemented through leadership training in businesses, performance improved 15-20% and workgroup productivity improved by 20-50%. Fortune Magazine’s annual rankings of the best 100 companies to work for show that companies that practice SL consistently rank in the top 10 (e.g. Southwest Airlines, Container Stores, Synovus Financial Corporation, TDIndustries).

Servant Leadership is the management methodology for the future. It not only brings joy to the workplace, but increases productivity many-fold, increases employee engagement, creates a climate of love, not fear, and is arguably the best leadership methodology out there.

There is powerful data to backup the advantages of servant leadership. The University of Illinois at Chicago Business School conducted a recent study at national food chain Jason’s Deli. Among those restaurants, the stores with servant leaders showed:

1. 6 percent higher job performance
2. 8 percent increase in positive customer service ratings
3. 50 percent higher staff retention rate

Who doesn’t want that? Anyone can start being an SL by following these guidelines. There is no time like the present to get started towards a happier, more engaged, more productive and successful team!

If you want to embark on your SL journey and don’t exactly know where to start, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email at info@roosadvisors.com. We are eager to help you become the best leader, as well as the best version of yourself.

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 1 Malinski, C. and Swift, R. (2019), “10 Things you can Do to Begin as a Servant Leader Pt. 2”, Servant Leadership Institute Podcast, Servant Leadership Institute.

2 Ruiz, Don Miguel (1997), “The Four Agreements”, Peter Pauper Press, 10.

3 Barter, A. and Tard, L. (2019), “Finding Significance in Servant Leadership”, Servant Leadership Institute Podcast, Servant Leadership Institute

4  Janssen, D. (2019), “Upside Down Leadership”, Servant Leadership Institute Podcast, Servant Leadership Institute

5 Wong, Paul T.P. and Davey, M.A. (2007),“Best Practices in Servant Leadership”, Servant Leadership Research Roundtable – July 2007, School of Leadership and Entrepreneurship

6 Romig, D.A.  (2001). Side by Side Leadership. Marietta, GA: Bard Press