Servant leadership is basically a leadership theory where the primary objective of the leader is personally to serve. This is opposed to traditional leadership whereby the leader’s attention is focused on the survival of his organization or company. Under this concept, the leaders should instead put their efforts to help their followers rather than trying to dominate them. It is a more passive form of leadership where you have someone at the helm who is there to lead and provide guidance but is not actually there to take orders. This is a way for a leader to get closer to his followers and help them with any issues they might be facing on a personal level as well.
Eric and Colin interview Kurt Uhlir on Take 5
One of the most critical concepts of servant leadership is having your employees feel that they are important. You need to make sure that they are respected as people because they do not only contribute to the growth of your company but also the betterment of the country as a whole. You can do this by treating them well and providing them with opportunities to grow and learn while giving them feedback as well. There should be regular training sessions where employees are taught how to deal with different situations as well as how to resolve them in a favorable manner. There should be well-established rules and regulations that employees need to follow whether they are working onsite or offsite and this should be made clear to all subordinates as well as the upper-level management.
In order for your employees to see the light at the end of the tunnel, they need to feel that they are part of a bigger institution where they will become leaders as well as part of a team. In addition, leaders who have implemented servant leadership have exhibited leadership skills which many would say are far beyond what an employee may be capable of achieving in the confines of an organization. Even those who think that they have the skills to succeed as a leader should first seek professional help to improve their skills and get rid of any negative beliefs that might prevent them from leading effectively.