Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy that prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of employees and communities to which they belong. It is different from traditional leadership, where the leaders main focus is the thriving of their company or organization. A servant leader shares power, puts the needs of the employees first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Instead of the people working to serve the leader, the leader exists to serve the people. The term "servant leader" was first coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 in the essay "The Servant as Leader".
According to Greenleaf, the most important characteristic of being a servant leader is to make it your priority to serve rather than to lead. Servant leaders are more interested in serving the needs of employees and helping them grow in the organization and are less interested in focusing on profits and personal gains. Servant leadership seeks to achieve a vision by providing strong support to employees, allowing them to learn and grow while bringing their own expertise and vision to the table.
Some key characteristics of servant leadership include:
- Empathy
- Listening
- Stewardship
- Commitment to the personal growth of others
- Prioritizing subordinates needs above the organizations bottom line
Servant leadership is handled throughout the literature by many different dimensions. The authors proposed three key elements that capture the essence of servant leadership and set it apart from other leadership styles - namely the motive (the underlying personal motivation for taking up a leadership responsibility, requiring a strong sense of self, character, and psychological maturity), the mode (that they lead by prioritizing subordinates needs above the organizations bottom line), and the mindset (that servant leaders are stewards who reorient their.
In summary, servant leadership is a leadership philosophy that prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of employees and communities to which they belong. It is different from traditional leadership, and a servant leader shares power, puts the needs of the employees first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
