Does servant leadership work in organizations?

Hi Liana,

I received both of my degrees who specifically emphasized servant leadership. It's honestly not a model that you will find in many large corporations. The management model that is currently in place in most companies is the same management model that has been around since the Industrial Revolution. The management position was born out of the need to meet certain quotas on a literal assembly line. The whole idea was to look over another person's shoulder to make sure they were assembling whatever product correctly and at the desired speed. Do you see how micro-management was a natural extension of this particular model? Fortunately some managers make very intentional efforts to not micro-manage but it's still not an uncommon practice.

Servant leadership is a very different model. To start with one tends to emphasize supervision and the other one emphasizes leadership and not just leadership but specifically leading by serving other people. While I think they're are a lot of great people managers who are also really great leaders not all are leaders. Servant leadership does not focus on supervising. Fortunately the conversations in many businesses are talking about how the management model that's been around since the 19th century needs to be updated. There are more conversations on emphasizing leadership and what that looks like in a management model.

So to answer your question, I personally believe that done correctly, done well, and done in a thoughtful and intentional manner that servant leadership can work in a management model. Personally I believe that industry will have to start changing that model because the workforce being hired out of college will demand a management model more reflective of the advancements that we have experienced in the last two centuries.

If you are interested this is a really good article arguing for a change. It doesn't specifically talk about servant leadership although I think we will start to see more of that in the near future.

http://trustedadvisor.com/trustmatters/management-is-still-fighting-the-industrial-revolution

Great question! I hope this helps to answer your question. I also hope that as you enter the workplace you will be engaged in the conversations about changing the old management model. Advocate for the change you want to see. It will be worth your time.

This is an interesting and deep question in the sense that it also asks the mirror question: "Is it necessary to disregard others feelings and business, and focus only on yourself?" And to be honest, I think some of the best leaders and managers I have had do provide examples of this.

However, a common misunderstanding is that "without my own ego in the way, there will be no problems or conflict". Why would you have problems if you give your followers everything they need? This falls into the age old problem every parent faces: "What you want may not be good for you, and you may not understand that". Some children you can tell them, and they understand. Others don't believe you, and for their own good and safety you have to enforce this. This is up to physically restraining and disciplining the child.

A child doesn't necessarily understand this, and will look at a loving parent as a tyrant. A parent doesn't do the child any favors by "bending the rules", or "allowing a limit to be breached". The child will think what they will... and they will not see love in the short term... only meanness.

Does this really happen in the workplace? What is the role of a "leader"? A leader is supposed to set direction, and perhaps goals. A leader can listen to council, but council may be contradictory and a decision is needed. Even if that decision making power is shared, not everyone will be happy. How do you deal with that? Others may have ego and self interest that they don't hide... and you may either have to lead or work with them. This is not an easy position.

But also... is the opposite any better? Is working solely for yourself leave you with any better satisfaction? Raising children has the satisfaction of watching another human grow and become capable of what they were not able to do before... and this can happen in the workplace as well. But like anything else, it may or may not happen as you envision.

Also remember "the worker is worth his wage". Working WITH your team is important. Doing all the WORK of the team is NOT. It takes a lot of discipline to know not only the limits of your team, but your own as well. Forgetting about your own needs (not "desires" or "only me"... but getting enough sleep!) does not end well. :)

At the end of the day, I think this is the better path. But it still isn't an easy path, or one guaranteed to prevent you from making mistakes. People will accuse you of wanting things for yourself when you honestly wanted them for others. You may have get rid of co-workers because the job conditions don't allow you to continue you to pay them. All sorts of "day to day" issues will come up. But you need a guide post like this to get your head up, and see if you are heading in the direction YOU feel is the best for your career... and life.

Best of luck. Keep asking the hard questions, and listening to the answer from others... and yourself.

Liana, thank you for this deeply thought provoking question and one that all leaders in organizations would do well to think about.

You have asked 2 questions – whether this is an effective leadership style and if it works in management.

The answer to the first I believe is a big YES.☺ I have had the good fortune to have known at least one such leader in my life but he was not part of a corporate organization. He was a professor and a priest. An amazing teacher and leader who has been an inspiration to hundreds to students who learned from him. I believe this is certainly the most effective leadership style there can be.

Does this work in management? I have in my long corporate career met and worked with many leaders and after reading your question I have thought long and hard about their being servant leaders. I have to say that while I looked up to and was inspired by at least 5 of them, I cannot say that any of them truly practiced servant leadership. Therefore in trying to answer whether it will work in management or not I am only using my judgment, not my experience.

I believe it will most certainly work in management. Working out of love or out of a sense of service for one’s fellow-workers (as opposed to working from the ego) does not mean doing anything different. What it means is doing the same things but from a different context. For example, a manager can hold back a promotion for a team member if he thinks the person is not yet ready for a higher role and will grow best after staying in the same role for another 6 months. He is operating from service/ love. Another manager can push the person up to the next grade knowing fully well that he is not ready but wanting to show the top management that he grooms his people and readies them for promotions. He is working out of ego and producing a result that shows no concern for what the team member really needs.

So looking at the result from the outside cannot tell us whether the leader is working from a sense of love or ego but the recipient of that love (or ego) can always tell. Therefore to produce the results s/he needs to produce in management, a leader can most certainly practice servant leadership. It will work beautifully. I am sure there are many people in management who are seeking to practice it and are in various stages of success. All of us would like to practice servant leadership always. Sometimes we manage it but very often our ego gets in the way☺

A long answer to your short question. I hope it helps.

Great question and it absolutely works! It's a mindset that's very effective in the workplace. This style of leadership conveys humility, demonstrates you care and builds trust with your direct reports. It's also something that's easily replicated once you get buy in from your employees. I highly recommend it!

A great question, indeed.  I, too, have been in many corporate settings, with different management structures and different politics.  It can be exhausting!  But, once in a blue moon, there emerges a leader who everyone truly follows.  For me, that was Bill Stasior.  He was the CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton, a global consulting firm, and he most definitely led through servant-leadership.  My immediate answer when anyone asks me to name the best leader I've known, is Bill Stasior.  He once gave a talk to employees on servant-leadership and the most succinct workplace description to come to my mind is "I am here to serve you in order that you have all that you need to do your job."  As a result, his employees would do all that the firm needed to achieve its mission.

I believe that servant leadership works in organizations. I am a leader in a technology company over a group of customer service employees and learned that this is the most effective way for me. When I get new teams, before I jump into talking about their individual performance, I believe it's important to connect and build trust with the employees and get to know them first, so I know what drives and motivates them. And I use that info to tailor my coaching or communication styles to them. Having a servant leader mindset means you care about the people you lead and their success and that you are open to adapt to their way of learning, etc., while still setting clear expectations of your company's missions and goals. Once you've earned trust and your employees know you have their back, they will work hard for you and will be open to your coaching and teaching towards the common goal.