Starting your Journey to becoming a Servant Leader

Life is funny. It constantly amazes me how close despair can be to victory at times.

Recently, a friend’s adult son was concerned about the direction the new owners of his workplace would take. For a time, they were worried about losing their job as the new owners “cleaned house.” However, his worry was replaced with excitement as they made him their new sales manager.

The transition from an employee to a manager can feel daunting. As a servant leader, I want to share practical advice that may help new managers focus on the true purpose of leadership: serving and developing their people.

I am a servant leader, whether in sales, warehouse, operations, or any other form of management; I am a person who tries to lead effectively using the servant leadership philosophy. I try to be grounded in humility, service, and empowerment, while still driving performance and accountability:

Lead by Listening First – I have learned the hard way that a leader can never assume they know everything. Realize that actively listening to your team’s input, their frustrations, and their solutions will foster trust, loyalty, and success.

It’s not about you – As a leader, your job is to train, support, encourage, develop, celebrate, lift up, and make your people better. Remove roadblocks and make their jobs easier and empower them instead of trying to control every single detail. Your ego should be left at home each day.

Learn and know your people’s jobs – Lead by walking around and noticing what people do well publicly. When you see the need for improvement, do so quietly and with respect. You have to earn your people’s respect; it does not come with the title.

Never take credit but always take responsibility – One of the best ways to demonstrate leadership and gain trust is to always divert attention from yourself when someone praises the work that is being accomplished. In turn, when something goes wrong, accept that as the leader, you are responsible.

Your job is to support and help your team, period. If someone comes to you for help, regardless of how busy you are, always be available and approachable. An “Open door” policy only works if your approach makes people feel safe when they ask you something.

Use a “team charter” to define “what success looks like” – Work collaboratively on how the team is going to accomplish that success. Praise any and all progress.

Do what you say you will – Few things earn trust faster than your people knowing you can be trusted to deliver, but breaking even small promises can undo that trust faster than you can imagine.

Systems and processes are important, but people come first – Never become so entrenched by your policies that you forget how your people are doing and how tired they may be. Making exceptions can sometimes be the best way to lead.

Develop your people – Solicit your people’s feedback on “How can I help you grow?” Training is something you have full control over; take the opportunity every day to increase their knowledge and abilities. Every day and every situation is an opportunity to coach and help your people get better. Your goal is progress, not necessarily perfection.

Be the calm in the storms that your people encounter – A good leader really earns the trust of their people and supervisors, not when everything is going smoothly, but when everything is coming apart. Your learned ability to stay focused on solutions and to “work the problem” is vital.

You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room – A good leader surrounds themselves with capable people, develops their abilities, trusts them to make decisions, and supports them. Learn to facilitate, not to dominate.

Be the example – Whether punctuality, accountability, or how to demonstrate respect, know that people will follow what you do, not always what you say.

Make at least three people feel better about themselves each day – As a leader, you should be noticing how your people are doing, be genuinely interested in them and their lives. Help them celebrate every victory and be there when they need support.

Build and protect your culture – An organization’s culture starts with a job description and never stops. All through the hiring process and how people are trained. Culture is most importantly how people are treated every day. Culture is what you allow, and there is never a time when toxicity should be allowed. Trust is earned daily, and especially when it comes to how quickly you deal with problems.

Share the “Why,” not just the “what” – Your people will be more engaged if they understand why a goal or change matters, trust them with your reasons, invite their feedback, and use their suggestions when appropriate.

Ask for feedback on your leadership and listen, don’t defend. Always be aware of the power imbalance when creating a safe space for your people to share their thoughts on how anything can be done better, including asking how you could lead them better. During these meetings, remember you want to hear what they have to say; you should not respond unless they ask.

Always go last at company events. At staff events, make a point of being the last person to be served.

Talk to people rather than emailing – Emails are a great way to share information, but they are not an effective method of communication because they give the illusion of a two-way conversation, but they don’t. Emails don’t reflect tone and are often misinterpreted.

The law of unintended consequences – As a leader, you have some control over the timing of certain things. A good leader understands how their actions and decisions ripple across departments, people, and outcomes. Servant leaders need to zoom out regularly and see how everything connects and is constantly aware of the need to tear down silos.

Reactions – Never make judgments or decisions when you are angry or upset, if possible. I have often regretted decisions made in anger, and usually it is too late. If you find yourself drafting an angry email in response to an unexpected action by someone else, write it, but only send it to yourself. Trust me on this one.

Lead – Be visible and involved when difficult conversations are taking place, and do not hesitate to take action. During times of crisis, situations may call for extra work and staying late; your people will look to you for leadership. Don’t be absent.

Don’t micromanage – A good leader empowers people but is always available should they require assistance.

Teach, inspire, and expect your people to leave – A leader worth following imparts their knowledge and trust, inspires their people to grow, and knows some people will grow beyond their team. When someone leaves for a position of greater responsibility in part because of your leadership, that is success, and it should be celebrated; hopefully, it is within your organization but even it is not it is still success.

Manage your emotions – Passion and compassion are important attributes for a leader, but appreciate you will have to navigate conflict, frustration, motivation, and burnout with emotional awareness, your own and your peoples, not just policies, goals, and day-to-day actions.

Blind spots – I have blind spots you could drive a truck through, but I use self-reflection examining my  habits, actions, and am always trying to grow. Always be learning, always be trying to improve, and always try to learn from everyone, including your competitors.

Push back – As a leader, you must have the fortitude and willingnesstopush back or advocate for your team with senior leadership when needed. Being a good servant leader isn’t just about serving down; it includes advocating up for what your people need. Learn the skills to avoid “win/lose” situations in any interactions. Dale Carnegie’s book on “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” should be required reading for all aspiring leaders.

Humility – A good leader never exercises their power or authority to serve themselves; a servant leader uses their skills and authority for the organization and their people’s goals.

Resilience and consistency – A good leader is consciously aware of the need for consistency, resilience, and fairness. These three elements are the foundation for trust, as a leader, you are evaluated daily, and although you will fail from time to time, if your people know your intentions, they will see you as a leader and as a human being.

Performance does matter – Being a servant leader does not mean sacrificing goals and targets. A good servant leader uses the “how” of achieving goals as their mission and their focus. Servant leaders create inclusive strategies for holding high expectations without slipping into harshness or over-correction.

You are not your title – Trust, empowerment, development, rather than ego, are what servant leaders are about.

Planting Seeds – Good leaders commit to building people and culture even when it doesn’t have an immediate return on investment. Additionally, invest in yourself; read, listen, attend seminars, and workshops; your job isn’t only to make your people better, it’s also to make you better.

My advice for my friend’s son, or for any aspiring manager, is to aspire to be a leader, a servant leader. Servant leadership isn’t a tactic or strategy; it’s an identity. A good servant leader doesn’t just use their tips and tools at work; they live them in everything they do. You can’t fake being a servant leader, but as you learn, know your people will be able to see the difference and always remember your success is the direct result of the success of the people you lead.

Would you want to work for yourself?

Good luck,

Paul