There are many different leadership styles, but the one I want to focus on is known as servant leadership.
This is not the kind of leadership that requires you to be in control of everything, make all the decisions or have all the answers. This is the kind that is self-sacrificing and responsive to other people’s growth. It develops people who initiate, take responsibility and become accountable for their actions.
Servant-style leaders are willing to lower themselves to humbly serve another person and put the best interests of others before their own needs. In return, this style reaps success by developing great employees.
How often do we see this leadership style today? Rarely.
Servanthood and leadership are compatible. Great leaders do not force people to follow them.
Servant leadership has proven to be the most successful over time. Look at who I consider to be the greatest leader of all time: Jesus Christ. He was born more than 2,000 years ago and had 12 people who followed him in the beginning. His ministry only lasted three years, he had no marketing budget and he died young, but today, he has 2 billion followers.
What you believe about Jesus is irrelevant. The shear number of followers shows that he is the greatest leader of all time.
This servant leadership style is what we need more of today. There are too many examples of executives who didn’t live up to the responsibilities of good leadership and who have violated the trust placed upon them. They didn’t serve anyone but themselves.
Ask your employees what they think of your leadership style. People take their employees for granted, and that’s a big mistake. By serving their needs with a better management style, everyone wins.
Leadership is not to be taken lightly. The more you care about your people’s needs, the greater the chance you will be the person leading them tomorrow.
Even when you think your employees are wrong, if you listen carefully, they’re probably telling you something about your business that you could learn from. Take care of them, and they’ll take care of you.
