Startups provide leadership in the market. Entrepreneurs provide leadership to their startup. There are many styles of leadership, like dictatorial, laissez-faire, and democratic. One that I hear discussed more these days, in this age of relationships, is called “servant” leadership.
What is servant leadership? The servant leader serves the people they lead through mentoring, direct assistance, listening, and acting on their employees input. It’s the opposite of self-serving, domineering leadership, and makes those in charge think harder about how to respect, value and motivate people reporting to them.
The concept was developed by Robert K. Greenleaf way back in 1970. Servant leaders are felt to be effective because the needs of followers are so looked after that everyone reaches their full potential, hence perform at their best, individually and as a team.
Greenleaf says that Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Jesus were good examples of servant leadership. What do you have in common with them? If you recognize yourself in most of the following questions, you may not be another Gandhi, but you are well on your way to becoming a servant leader:
- Do team members believe that you want to hear their ideas and will value them?
- Does your team believe that you have a strong awareness of what is going on and why?
- Does everyone follow your direction because they want to, as opposed to because they “have to”?
- Do others on your team communicate their ideas and vision for the organization when you are around?
- Do people believe that you are committed to helping them develop and grow?
- Do people come to you when the chips are down, or when something traumatic has happened in their lives?
- Does everyone have confidence in your ability to anticipate the future and its consequences?
- Does the team believe you are leading the organization to make a real difference in the world?
- Do people believe that you are willing to sacrifice your own self-interest for the good of the team?
- Does everyone feel a strong sense of community in the company you lead?
Some of the characteristics implied in these questions come more naturally to some people than others. Experts argue that some are inherent, and are difficult to learn. But characteristics such as listening, awareness, persuasion, and building community are all learnable skills.
You should reflect and thoughtfully assess the degree to which you have what it takes to be a servant leader. If you are committed to being the best servant leader than you can be, I urge you to continuously work to develop these characteristics.
For some executives, serving people's needs creates the image of being slavish or subservient, not a very positive image. In addition, leaders need to serve the needs of customers and stakeholders, as well as those of team members, so a sense of balance is required.
For comparison purposes, autocratic leaders tend to make decisions without consulting their teams. Laissez-faire and democratic leaders normally allow people within the team to make most of the decisions, based on consensus. In reality, the very best leaders are those who can use a variety of leadership styles effectively, and use the right style for each situation.
