Servant leadership explained: principles and examples

Servant leadership is a style of leading in which your first job is to help the people on your team grow and do well. Results still matter. The difference is the order: you look after people, and good work follows. This guide explains where the idea came from, what it asks of you each day, and where it can go wrong.

Where servant leadership comes from

Robert K. Greenleaf made the phrase popular. He used it in an essay called "The Servant as Leader," published in 1970. His point was simple. A leader should begin with a wish to serve, and only then choose to lead.

Greenleaf gave a way to check if it is working. He asked whether the people served grow as persons. Do they become healthier, wiser, freer and more able to act on their own? Do they become more likely to serve others themselves? If the answer is yes, the leadership is doing its job.

The idea has lasted for decades. Larry Spears, a longtime head of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, turned Greenleaf's writing into a short list of ten traits that managers can use.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Servant leadership" (the 1970 essay and Greenleaf's question about those served). The essay itself is by Robert K. Greenleaf, "The Servant as Leader," 1970.

The ten traits Larry Spears listed

Spears names ten traits that show up in servant leaders. The grouping below is ours, to make them easy to remember.

• People skills: empathy, listening, healing and persuasion.
• Thinking skills: awareness, conceptualization and foresight.
• Duty to others: stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community.

You do not need all ten on day one. Pick the one that is weakest for you and practise it for a month. For many managers, that is listening.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Servant leadership" (the list of ten characteristics attributed to Larry Spears). The three groups are the editors' own..

What it looks like on a normal Tuesday

Servant leadership is not a mood. It shows up in small habits. Here are practical ones you can start this week.

1. Ask each person what is in their way, then remove one blocker within a week.
2. In meetings, speak last. Let others give their views before you share yours.
3. Give credit by name when the team wins, and take the blame when it does not.
4. Spend time in one on one talks on the person's growth, not only on tasks.
5. Share the reason behind a decision, not just the decision.

Here is a short example. A team lead sees that a junior analyst never speaks up. Instead of pushing, the lead asks what would make it easier. The analyst says the meetings move too fast. The lead sends the agenda a day early. Within a few weeks, the analyst starts to share ideas. The lead did not lower the bar. The lead removed a barrier.

Sources: the editors' practical guidance. The example is an illustration, not a real case.

Why it can fit teams across Asia

In many Asian workplaces, people respect seniority and avoid open disagreement. That can leave a leader hearing only polite answers. Servant leadership can help here. When a leader listens first and thanks people for bad news, staff learn that honesty is safe.

It also fits cultures that value duty to the group. Caring for the team's growth is a clear way for a senior person to meet that duty. Keep the style natural to you. A quiet leader can serve well without big gestures.

Sources: the editors' practical guidance, drawn from common leadership practice. No outside study is claimed.

The honest limits of servant leadership

This style does not solve every problem. Be aware of its limits so you can use it well.

• It can be slow. Some moments, such as a crisis, need a fast and clear call from you.
• It can be misread as being soft. You can serve people and still hold them to high standards.
• It can drain you. If you only give and never set limits, you will burn out and help no one.
• It can be faked. Staff notice quickly when words and actions do not match.

A useful rule is to serve the person and the goal at the same time. If the team is growing but the work is failing, something is off. If the work is strong but people are worn out, something is also off. Use Greenleaf's question as a regular check, and ask your team the same thing.

Sources: the editors' practical guidance. Greenleaf's question is from the sources above.

How to start this month

Do not try to change your whole style at once. Choose one habit from the list above and do it every week for four weeks. At the end, ask two people on your team what has changed. Keep what helps and drop what does not.

Servant leadership works best as a steady practice, not a slogan. Begin with listening, and let trust build from there.

Sources: the editors' practical guidance.

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Servant leadership": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_leadership
• Robert K. Greenleaf, "The Servant as Leader," 1970