Five Ways Servant Leadership Can Help Make Your Company Great

by Alessandra Cavalluzzi

Every CEO wants their company to be a place that employs the best talent, makes people aspire to work there, and has customers lining up to buy their products. Likewise, candidates and consumers alike are seeking businesses that reflect their values. So it should come as no surprise that companies with purpose-driven cultures tend to attract more attention (read: talent and customers) than companies who are primarily focused on bottom-line results. To be clear, performance and results are certainly important to the success of any organization; but they shouldn’t be the only priorities. The wellbeing of employees is imperative, because a healthy and engaged workforce pretty much guarantees great performance and superior results.

In this digital age what people crave most is human connection. They look for it in relationships. As consumers, they seek it in the form of high-touch, personalized experiences. As employees, they search for it in a company that mirrors their values. Awareness and empathy are necessary in forming these connections. When it comes to the workplace, the companies with the highest levels of engagement have figured out the value of bonding with their employees on a personal level. A look at the Forbes Top 100 Places to Work list reinforces this. The listing highlights companies of all sizes and industries, but there’s one thing they all have in common — their leadership style. If you look closer at these companies you’ll find that they are led by and employ what are known as servant leaders.

A servant leader is described as someone who places the needs of others ahead of his own. She’s a leader who is confident in herself and her abilities but practices humility. He’s a manager who welcomes different points of view and is open to learning. Developing others and helping them to succeed is the priority of a servant leader and having these folks on board is a game changer when it comes to engagement. Here’s why:

1.    Servant leaders build trust – Because they’re focused on developing employees for success, and not on themselves, servant leaders are able to gain the trust of their direct reports. Employees are also more likely to be forthcoming with issues when they don’t fear retribution.

2.    Servant leaders are focused on authority, not power – this leadership style requires a “big picture” mindset. Some examples of how these leaders view the grand scheme of things:

  • They freely share their knowledge with others and never hoard information in order to maintain a position of power.

  • They look for synergies among groups and facilitate introductions between people who can help each other succeed.

  • They’re ready to roll up their sleeves and jump in to assist whenever and wherever needed, even if it’s outside of their regular scope of work.

3.    Servant leaders are able to connect your company’s purpose to a greater purpose – because of their “big picture” mindset and their “us” versus “me” mentality, these leaders are able to connect the dots between your company’s “Why” and how it relates to each and every employee regardless of their job function.

4.    Servant leaders want to make the world better – one of the hallmarks of a servant leader is a passion for making a difference. Most, if not all, volunteer or support their community in some capacity. Having leaders on board who are committed to the advancement of social good speaks volumes about your culture and positions your company as a compassionate and empathetic brand.

5.    Servant leaders “change” hearts – in his book “Enchantment” Guy Kawasaki explains that in order to gain people’s loyalty and trust, you first have to change their hearts. The way to do this, Kawasaki says, is to know the goals and desires of the people you are interacting with and enlist these in helping them to embrace a project, point of view, or suggestion. Because servant leaders are empathetic and compassionate, they have a greater awareness of what’s taking place across the landscape. They are very good listeners, and because they’re trusted are usually the “go-to” person; and, therefore, have deeper insight into what’s important to your workforce and your customers. This makes them ideal speakers, negotiators, sales leaders, and marketing professionals, for example. 

You can help cultivate servant leadership skills in your leaders by incorporating community service hours into on-boarding and leadership development programs. Volunteerism is one of the best ways to hone these skills because it promotes compassion, empathy, and understanding. Most important, it forces us to shift our perspective from “me” to “us” because serving others reminds us that there is a world that exists outside our personal microcosm. Serving others makes us better leaders and better humans.