What is Servant leadership and what benefits does it bring to corporate governance? Read the articlae of Viindoo today for an overview and secrets to becoming a proper servant leader!
What is Servant leadership?
Servant Leadership is a leadership philosophy in which the goal of the leader is to serve. This leadership philosophy is expressed when individuals interact with other individuals with the goal of achieving prestige rather than power. When applying this philosophy, the leader will have to help subordinates develop themselves and perform well.
Based on the above definition, a servant leader will be the person who is constantly looking for ways to assist his subordinates see their own abilities to have an effective promotion plan.
In fact, Servant leadership is a combination of behaviors and manners that leaders use to run the organization. Servant leadership is formed based on 04 criteria as follows:
Building and maintain trust in their subordinates: The best way to help a leader build trust subordinates is to always show honesty and reliability in words. From the emmployee's sight, they never hide anything, they are always ready to give up power, control, bonuses or recognition.
Helping subordinates discover and develop their potential: Leaders always take advantage of their empathy and understanding for their subordinates. Then, they will be willing to support subordinates to find hidden strengths that facilitate their work.
Prioritizing the employee’s wishes over their own: A good organization is an organization like a big family, where there are individuals who are fulfilling their passions and developing themselves day by day. To do this, there is constant willing of the leaders, helping their subordinates, not be controlling, and doing good things for the employees rather than for himself.
Learning to listen instead of focusing on commanding: A good leader will always choose to listen to the problems that subordinates are facing to find the best solution together. Along with that, they will never impose their thoughts on others.
What is the concept of Servant leadership?
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Distinguish between servant leadership and traditional leadership
| Traditional Leaders | Servant Leaders |
| Comsidering leadership as a hierarchy and a goal to be achieved | Considering leadership as an opportunity to serve and support others |
| Driving performance with authority | Empowering subordinates to enhance interaction |
| The seccess is meassured by outcomes | The success is measured along the career path |
| Commanding, giving speech are the main thing | Focusing on listening |
| Assuming themselves is the main reason leading to success | Interaction, support each other are the main reason leading to success |
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The role of Servant leadership in the business
Defining the project vision
Clearly defining the project vision through back-and-forth communication with clients and stakeholders is one of the core values of servant leadership. Another value that “Servant Leadership” emphasizes is to ensure that employees' daily work keeps track of the project's direction.
Then, members will focus on completing project-oriented work. At the same time, stakeholders will have a clear understanding of the vision and eliminate work that interferes in the overall project's goal.
Determine the future of the project
Improve employee performance
"Servant Leadership" sets out criterias to intervene and limit problems that affecting or disrupting work.
Such as:
- Meetings that are not within the scope of the project;
- Activities of companies and associations that is unnecessary;
- Issues affecting the employees' work progress.
Focus on sustainable promotion of employee performance
Remove obstacles
"Servant Leadership" refers to the removal of all obstacles - those that make work stagnate, avoiding affecting the contribution to the company.
Such as:
Eliminating unnecessary administrative procedures
Removing obstacles helps subordinates focus more on work, bringing higher values to the project and to the business.
Actively participate in removing obstacles at work
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Team development
With Servant Leadership, leadership is more than just giving orders. True leadership is the act by which a manager trains, and empowers subordinates so that they are able to use power in the right way.Coupled with that, employees will be given the opportunity to take responsibility for all their decisions.
Servant Leadership helps build team firmly
Building Loyalty
Based on the philosophy of Servant Leadership, employees' desires are the top concern. Therefore, managers will encourage employees to make decisions, build and contribute to a common goal. Then, employees will become aware of their own importance in the organization and in the long term they will possess a stronger sense of loyalty.
Servant Leadership builds employee loyalty
Motivating employees to participate in business activities
Always creating conditions for subordinates to work freely is the way a Servant leadership usually applies. Thanks to this way, employees will have a certain comfort and positivity in case they are assigned tasks deviating the scope of work by their superiors.
Servant Leadership encourages employees to participate in all activities at the organization
Limit abuse of power
Once the Servant Leadership style is chosen, the leader will always be willing to give up his authority for the common goal. Problems of abuse and autocracy will be less happened. From there, businesses will possess a professional and civilized working environment.
Servant Leadership does not allow any abuse of power
Helps to adapt faster to environmental changes
Servant Leadership style will strengthen the role of employees in a comfortable working environment. As a result, employees will form the ability to adapt themselves to the working environment and bond more closely with their colleagues.
Servant Leadership helps employees promptly adapt to the working environment
The secret to becoming a standard Servant leadership
As a 4.0 leader, you must be very interested and want to get more information of the secret to becoming a standard Servant leadership? Below, Viindoo will summarize 10 skills based on Larry Spears. Details are as follows:
Listening: Managers know how to listen to both words and unspoken thoughts to understand the spirit of the whole team.
Empathy: Empathy is accepting the unique personality of each employee and always thinking about things in a positive ways.
Healing: Healing wounds helps to increase the connection between leaders and employees to find a “complete healing” together.
Awareness: If a manager is properly aware of himself and his surroundings, it will facilitate them to create strong bonds with their employees.
Persuasion: Instead of using power to coerce, Servant Leadership persuades their employees.
Conceptualization: Putting all the daily tasks into small actions in a journey closer to the big goal of the organization.
Foresight: Managers rely on the past and present to accurately predict future results.
Stewardship: All members of the organization play an important role in holding the organization to realize common social interests.
Commitment to the Growth of People: A leader who is deeply devoted to the personal, professional, and spiritual growth of each individual in his or her team.
Community building: Servant Leadership helps build an efficient, civilized, fair working community at the organization or in a locality.
List of 10 factors to become a Servant leadership
Large enterprises apply Servant leadership
Currently, some large corporations in the world have successfully applied the Servant leader philosophy such as FedEx, Google, Starbucks, etc. This success has shown the real benefits of Servant Leadership for the development of the organization.
FedEx
Great stories are for everyone even when only written for just one person. If you try to write with a wide, general audience in mind, your story will sound fake and lack emotion. No one will be interested. Write for one person. If it’s genuine for the one, it’s genuine for the rest.
International shipping company FedEx adopts Servant leadership
Google
At Google, all employees will be inspired by their managers to freely generate creative ideas and develop themselves. All Google employees also enjoy free services such as food services, transportation services, haircuts, etc.
Servant leadership at Google
Starbucks
Starbucks CEO - Mr. Howard Schultz chose the Servant leadership model. For him, by aligning the values of shareholders and employees, the company will become greater and more prosperous.
The great benefits that a Starbucks employee experiences such as healthcare, college fee reimbursement, health care, stock purchases, participation in opinion forums, etc.
Starbucks is the leading F&B unit applying Servant leadership
Through the article, Viindoo helped readers answer the question of what is Servant leadership, the role and benefits of this leadership method. If readers want to learn more about business and human resource management solutions, please immediately contact Viindoo via hotline 0225 730 9838 for free advice and support from staff!
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