Servant Leadership for Entrepreneurs

What is Servant Leadership and How Does it Benefit Entrepreneurs?

A dictionary definition of leadership describes it as the action or process of leading or influencing an individual or individuals to achieve a goal. At its core, leadership is a relationship in which one or more persons provide guidance, direction, and structure for one or more individuals in working to achieve established goals and objectives. Here, we’ll delve more specifically into servant leadership for entrepreneurs.

The role of the leader, and the person who fills the role, is not static; the person and the role often change. Leadership can shift from one person to another and can be shared between two or more individuals. Sometimes, in more flexible organizations and teams, the situation dictates who will serve in a leadership capacity.

If a situation calls for a highly technical approach, the more technically inclined person in the organization may temporarily take the helm. As the situation shifts to one where there are environmental challenges, the situation may then call for the team member who has environmental expertise to serve as the leader.

Some leaders are given their roles because they have natural leadership abilities. Some leaders are born into their positions, or they inherit them. Still other leaders work to learn and demonstrate the necessary skills to be able to lead their followers successfully and effectively.

Larger organizations are not always well suited to be able to make these changes on an organizational level. Their mere size makes it difficult for them to enact changes, particularly if they are systemwide. Smaller organizations, or even teams within an organization, can better make leadership changes and adaptations. Fewer organizational layers make for an atmosphere of greater adaptability.

Leaders should always behave ethically, morally, and responsibly, and with their followers’ best interests at heart. Yet all don’t. There have been countless examples of both good and bad leaders throughout time. Good leaders are effective in how they execute the duties of their position, and treat the individuals in their organizations, as well as their stakeholders, which is with care and concern.

Leadership is not a new concept; it has been around for millennia, and it continues to change and evolve to meet the needs of the current climate and culture. In the past, the responsibility of leadership has been viewed as almost entirely in the domain of the leader. However, in recent decades there has been needed recognition of the role that followers play in the leadership dynamic; after all, without followers, a leader cannot lead.

Successful leaders realize the importance of creating a hospitable environment in their organizations in which followers are comfortable and have the freedom to not only meet the organization’s established goals, but to achieve their own compatible goals, as well. To create such an environment, leaders assume a posture of service to their followers, elevating their followers’ needs above their own. This atmosphere of service creates an organizational culture highly sought after by potential employees and rated highly by individuals currently in the organization. The result is an organization where everyone succeeds, both leaders and followers. The discussion will focus on how leaders can lead by serving their followers.

What Does it Mean to Lead by Serving?

Leadership through serving is a concept made popular by Robert Greenleaf in his 1970 landmark work, The Servant as Leader. He began his discussion by explaining how he developed his concept of servant leadership. He read a book in which a mythological group of travelers were on a journey with a person, Leo, who served the group. Leo may have been the servant, but he gave his fellow travelers encouragement with his sustaining spirit and song, and essentially provided leadership with his very presence. When Leo left the group, he left a leadership void in his wake, and the group abandoned their journey in his absence.

Ironically, when one of the travelers stumbles across Leo’s path some years later, he discovers that Leo is the leader of an Order. Greenleaf noted the fact that Leo was valued as a leader because of his servant’s heart, and the fact that he never lost sight of being of service to his fellow travelers. This is what Greenleaf believed to be the essence of servant leadership—leading by serving one’s “people.”

Leading by serving is performed most effectively, Greenleaf believed, by a leader who was first a servant. In fact, some servant leaders are never officially given the title of leader, or never rise to the actual position of leader. Instead, servant leaders are individuals who serve their followers in whatever role or position they currently occupy, even if it is the lowest ranking position in the organization. Their posture of servitude, their concern for others in their care, and the influence they ultimately possess with others in the organization are what define them as a leader. In fact, Greenleaf believed a person must have an opportunity to serve first, before ever being assigned the role of leader. He also believed that followers should require this of their leaders and refuse to follow any leader that had not first been in a servant’s role.

While it may not be feasible for every person who is a leader to have first been a servant, there is something to be said about this qualification. Consider how monarchs in England often serve in the military before assuming the role of king or queen or other high-ranking positions of royalty. But for those who may not have this initial opportunity, it is still entirely possible to be an effective servant leader. Followers of a leader who has a true servant’s heart can detect their leader’s authenticity, and how much their leader cares for them. Within this atmosphere, followers are willing to support their leader, and to go where he or she leads them. There is truth to the saying, “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Leading by serving challenges the traditional interpretation of what it means to lead. In fact, servant leadership is not always taken seriously as a legitimate method of leadership, because the terms “servant” and “leadership” are thought to be contradictory. Yet a growing number of leaders can be pointed to as being servant leaders, and a growing number of would-be leaders are finding validity in this leadership method. Those who lead by serving have found an authenticity amongst their followers due to their earnest desire to elevate their followers by serving them.

What Are the Benefits of Servant Leadership for Entrepreneurs?

The practice of leading by serving has been gaining traction in recent years, and its growing popularity is well deserved. Leading by serving is a powerful leadership philosophy that diverges from traditional leadership philosophies. There are many benefits to this innovative approach to leading by serving. One such benefit is the collaboration and trust it fosters by the leader’s willingness to demonstrate humility by serving their followers. If followers had reservations about the leader prior to seeing the leader’s willingness to roll up their sleeves and do the work being asked of them, they tend to lose their reservations when this happens. It provides followers with reassurance to know that their leader is not asking them to do anything the leader is not willing to do. Servant leadership for entrepreneurs shifts the focus completely.

There are some benefits specific to leaders who lead by serving. One benefit is a strong sense of purpose and vision for the organization. When a leader makes the decision to lead by serving, they are working alongside the people they lead, and in so doing, they have the opportunity to view the organization from the perspective of the members of the group or organization. If the leader did not assume a posture of service, and was not willing to do work that is more menial than what most leaders do, the leader would not have been privy to an opportunity to view the organization from a different vantage point. This new perspective enables the leader to provide more comprehensive leadership for the organization. Another benefit is that of improved listening skills.

If a leader is serving alongside the members of the group, they are likely more focused on working and listening than on speaking and commanding the group (or they should be). In this setting, the leader cannot help but improve on their ability to really listen to, and hear, their constituents. Improved listening leads to increased empathy. It is impossible to engage in increased and active listening, and not develop a greater sense of empathy for those being listened to. These are only a few of the benefits leaders experience in leading by serving.

Followers or team members benefit from having leaders who lead by serving. One benefit is that followers feel respected, appreciated and valued by their leader. If a leader cares enough about their members to actually work and serve alongside them, this simple act speaks volumes to the members of the organization. There is a sense of recognition for the work they do from their leader, which enables them to feel valued and appreciated and respected.

A second benefit to members is the encouragement to be innovative and share their own ideas. If the leader is not directly involved with leading and managing, but is instead working alongside the members of the group, there is freedom for the members of the group to create new ways of performing tasks and duties. This also contributes to a follower’s sense of being respected and valued for their contribution to the organization. The list of benefits to followers continues.

The customer is the ultimate beneficiary of the leading by serving model. Because of the value being given to followers by the leader, and the respect felt by the followers, these and other factors contribute to a better end product for the customer, whether it is a product, service, or experience. When a leader demonstrates care through service to their followers, and their followers benefit from the care and service, customers also benefit.

What it Means to Lead by Example

Leaders who lead by serving are, by default, leading by example. For leaders who lead by serving, they are demonstrating the type of behavior that serves as an example for their followers to emulate. By serving their followers or team members, leaders demonstrate that they value their team, which inspires trust, respect and loyalty from those who follow them.

Leaders who serve provide inspiration and motivation for their people to be highly engaged in their work process and in production of their final or end product. Leaders who serve also provide encouragement to their followers to be more engaged in the organization. There are several benefits to leading by example within the context of leading by serving.

One of the benefits experienced in leading by example is that there is a higher level of trust between a leader who serves their followers, and their followers. Studies show that when a leader is able to engage with their followers to the extent that a solid relationship of trust is established, it provides the type of environment that is ideal for fostering trust between the leader and the follower. When a leader, through their service, makes clear that they trust their followers, their followers in turn are able to develop trust in the leader. This type of mutual trust is beneficial for the entire organization.

Another benefit of leading by example is a positive work environment in which collaboration and innovation can occur organically. When a leader, through service, provides the type of guidance that is exemplary, followers have a sense of freedom to perform their best work and to engage in collaborative and innovative work. Employees who are able to work in this type of environment experience a boost in both job satisfaction and productivity.

A third benefit of leading by example is that employees have increased support and professional development. When a leader who serves is viewed as setting a positive example for the organization, this leader is typically able to see the ways in which even outstanding, highly skilled employees could benefit. By working alongside followers to achieve organizational goals, leaders can witness firsthand the areas in which employees could benefit from additional support. Thus, the leader is able to chart a course for employees’ professional development training or coursework. Servant leadership for entrepreneurs creates leaders who will make a difference.

Leading by example is also beneficial for the organization in that it provides sustainable growth and success not only for the organization but for stakeholders, as well. When a leader’s exemplary behavior permeates the entire organization, the organization’s stakeholders—shareholders, employees, leadership, community, etc—benefit from this mindset and behavior. An organization with this type of leader attracts potential employees, and has an environment where current employees want to stay, which inevitably leads to the company’s grown and inevitable success.

A leader who serves is, by definition, one who leads by example. This type of leader is the kind that followers want to follow and to emulate. Leadership by example boosts the morale of the members in the organization, as well as the reputation and image of the organization in its community and industry.

Developing the Skills Needed to Lead by Serving

Leaders looking to improve their leadership skills discover the effectiveness of leading by serving, and are able to see how the people and organizations they serve benefit from this style of leadership. Thus, they become interested in how they can adopt this style of leadership. Yet they may wonder how they can become an effective leader who serves. How does one develop the skills and competencies needed to lead by serving and why is servant leadership for entrepreneurs so important? There are a few steps that those who aspire to become leaders who serve need to consider.

First, leaders who serve must be aware of the skills and competencies most common to leaders who serve. It is impossible to state definitively which traits are considered mandatory to acquire, and which ones may be deemed unimportant. With that said, there are characteristics recognized by various experts as being typical of leading by serving. Robert Greenleaf, founder of the concept of servant leadership, included listening, persuasion, intuition, and communication as essential tools for leading by serving.

Larry Spears, a contemporary of Greenleaf, suggested ten characteristics of leading by serving, including listening, empathy, healing, awareness, and persuasion. Other experts recommended similar skills and competencies. Leaders desirous of becoming leaders who serve will need to assess their current toolkit of skills, determine which new ones they’d like to or are best suited to acquire, and work towards competency in those areas.

Servant leadership for entrepreneurs is the beginning of something greater than you know. For leaders wishing to become leaders who serve, once they have determined which traits they’d like to master, they can begin to participate in activities that will give them the opportunity to practice the desired skills. For instance, listening and communication tend to be traits identified by experts as foundational for leaders who serve. Thus leaders who may not currently be good listeners or communicators will expose themselves to opportunities in which they are forced to engage in listening and in communicating.

Or some leaders, for instance, join a local chapter of Toastmasters in order to develop their communication skills. Or, leaders wishing to improve their listening skills can ensure they participate in interactive activities in which listening is an essential component. It was when I joined Rotary, an international service organization that I first began to understand the importance of servant leadership for entrepreneurs.

In reality, in working to develop particular traits such as listening and communication, leaders are likely to develop other areas of competency. For instance, leaders who are working to become better listeners cannot help but to develop greater empathy in the process. Leaders who wish to develop their weaker skills will have the opportunity to become more competent in those areas.

Leaders who are working to become leaders who serve will indirectly engage in self-improvement as they work to assess their current skills and identify additional skills they would like to acquire. Becoming a better, more mature leader capable of serving others is a logical outgrowth of being able to objectively take stock of one’s shortcomings, and make adjustments accordingly. The self-improvement process does not stop once leaders feel they have acquired the skills necessary to become leaders who serve. Servant leadership for entrepreneurs makes sense. By the very nature of being a leader who serves, there will be a constant process of growth and development as leaders do what they can to serve their followers.

I’m bestselling author, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course (Save with Code: INDEPENDENCE) and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.