Applying Servant Leadership

By Elizabeth Bailey, Associate Fellow

The concept of servant leadership dates back to at least the time of Jesus, who, in the Gospel according to Mark, states: "Whoever wants to be a great leader must become a servant." Using this quote as his basis, Robert Greenleaf, who spawned a movement with his 1970 essay "The Servant As Leader," further defined the idea of servant leadership:

The servant leader is servant first . . . which holds that the only authority deserving of allegiance is that which is fully and knowingly granted by the led to the leader. . . . It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.

"Servant first"? Just what does that mean? It means that servant leaders care first about people, not the bottom line. It means that leaders' actions take precedence over words and ideas. A good example of the mindset of a servant leader appears in an article by Kenneth Hein in the September 2003 issue of Incentive magazine: A district manager for Men's Wearhouse, a busy man with a wife and children, stays late to cover for a store manager so she can attend her son's baseball game. As Hein explains, this story illustrates that servant leadership is "about subordinating your immediate self-interests for the needs of others."

Servant leadership is an excellent model for STC leaders. This article discusses the characteristics of servant leadership and suggests ways that you can apply servant leadership in your work for the Society.

Servant Leadership: The Basics

Larry Spears, CEO of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, further defines servant leadership as including the following characteristics (for a more detailed discussion, see Spears' The Power of Servant Leadership):

Listening. This doesn't mean just using your ears-it means actively listening to the views of others without offering advice or opinions.

Empathy. Empathic leaders, writes Spears, seek to understand others and accept them for who they are, perhaps even "while not accepting their behavior or performance."

Healing. Through healing, leaders assist people and organizations in their efforts to transform and energize stifling processes and relationships.

Persuasion. Rather than threatening or strong-arming ideas into fruition, leaders have the ability to convince others.

Awareness. Leaders understand themselves and how they relate to the personality of the organization. They are also aware of others around them.

Foresight. Leaders anticipate happenings, and proactively prepare for them.

Conceptualization. Leaders see the larger picture, facilitating the communication of plans and tasks to others.

Commitment to growth. Leaders offer nurturing assistance to others and attempt to build their confidence.

Stewardship. Leaders empower others to achieve their professional and personal goals.

Focus on community. As A. B. Carroll writes in Nonprofit World, leaders can develop "an organizational culture built on joint interest." This community-building is vital to the success of any organization.

Becoming a Servant Leader

Although you can't expect immediate results, you can learn to apply the concepts of servant leadership today. The following are some suggestions for becoming a servant leader in your STC community:

• When listening to your members and peers, paraphrase what you heard to ensure understanding and to potentially initiate meaningful communication. Be receptive to new ideas and be willing to change your mind about policies and procedures while trying out new processes and changing them if they don't work as you envisioned.
• Discover what motivates your members and make those criteria or circumstances commonplace to improve individual and group performance.
• Consistently respect the value of your members. As M. E. Douglas writes in Supervision, a journal of the National Research Bureau, your members have "value that extends beyond their tangible contribution as workers." Publicly praise your members for good performance and privately offer constructive feedback.
• Acknowledge your own need for improvement and ask your members for feedback.
• Delegate authority to your members.
• Establish relationships with other leaders and share what you learn with your members.
• Pave the way for your members to learn and develop themselves in their careers.
• Lead by example. Show members the direction, set them up to succeed, and get out of the way.
• Identify what your members need to succeed, and then determine how to help them achieve their goal.
• Run interference for your members, preventing them from stumbling on pressure from others, distractions, and interruptions. If you happen to see poor performance, offer corrective ideas immediately. Don't wait like a cat on the hunt to catch them doing something wrong.
• Communicate even the most difficult information. Always provide the truth no matter how much you think it might hurt.
• Mentor and coach members to their dreams. Offer choices. Find and offer growth opportunities whether or not your members take you up on the ideas.

Placing Members First

In your role as an STC leader, remember that servant leadership is not merely a buzzword and cannot be selectively applied. Servant leadership must be applied in every situation. Consider all of your members during all of your actions. Being a servant leader means placing your members first and helping others succeed.

Suggested Readings

Carroll, A. B. "Servant Leadership: An Ideal for Nonprofit Organizations." Nonprofit World 23, no. 3 (May-June 2005): 18-20.

Douglas, M. E. "Service to Others." Supervision 3, no. 66 (March 2005): 6-9.

Greenleaf, R. K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1970.

---. The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1991.

Hein, K. "Taking the Lead." Incentive 177, no. 9 (September 2003): 24-25.

Spears, L. C. The Power of Servant Leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Kochler publishers, Inc., 1998.