The concept of what is servant leadership is a concept that has been around for centuries. In the past, leaders were mostly knights or military men who took orders from a higher power. This concept has changed over time, however, and now includes all forms of leadership. Historically, the concept of what is servant leadership was very limited. There are many different types of leadership styles, but the one that is often referred to as “servant leadership” has some interesting characteristics.
Servant leadership is basically a leadership philosophy where the primary objective of the leader is to truly serve. This is quite different from conventional leadership where the leaders’ primary focus is on the organization or business’s overall success. Here, the servant leader focuses on providing a valuable service or product to others.
One of the most important characteristics of servant leadership is being empathetic. In most cases, the leaders must have a genuine concern for the well-being of others. They must also be able to see the situation in an honest manner and be able to see solutions to problems. This is not the same as a leader who wants to simply lead by means of force, but rather one who are empathetic toward his followers’ needs and situations.
Another characteristic of this leadership style is being willing to make sacrifices for the team or the individual that they are serving. This is not a mean or selfish act. Rather, it is a proactive way of making sure that the group as a whole is not forgotten or taken for granted. Leaders who do this are not evil or bad people. They are simply using their position to help people in a constructive way.
A key aspect of servant leadership is being there for their peers. The person serving others will do what they can to empower them. However, the servant leader does not have to offer advice to someone else. They can simply listen without taking sides, and if the situation calls for it, they can even step up and step out to speak and do something on their own.
It is important to note that servant leaders will not take any unnecessary risks. If there is something that they feel could be risky, they will evaluate it first before taking it on. As a leader, it is important to weigh the potential benefits versus the potential risks. When doing so, the risk may not be as bad as the potential benefit.
There is also a very strong emphasis on communication. This is evident through the fact that in a traditional leadership styles, there is a great emphasis on speaking with one’s team members and delegating those tasks to lower level employees. With the use of servant leadership, there is no need to do this. Instead, individuals are expected to be excellent communicators and givers of information.
In the business setting, there is a huge demand for effective leaders. However, the United States has one of the highest numbers of workers in poverty than any other country in the world. This is largely due to the fact that the government has not done much to support professional development or worker training specifically for low income workers. If more businesses followed what is servant leadership and trained their workers for leadership positions, the unemployment rate in the country could go down considerably.
As organizations, both large and small, look for ways to attract and retain the best talent, they will begin to implement some types of servant leadership. While it is not a new concept, the characteristics of servant leadership have been identified and discussed in a manner where it can be applied to any organization. Through modern technology and continuing research, people are honing and fine tuning the characteristics that make up this leader-follower model. This allows organizations to move forward in a positive direction and not take the wrong steps that can negatively impact their company in years to come.
What is servant leadership theory is not something that can be taken on in a one-day seminar or workshop. Rather, leaders need to be made aware of the many benefits that come with following this practice. The idea is to create leaders that are able to effectively communicate to others on a variety of different topics. These leaders are able to empower others and give them the tools necessary to be successful. A leader does this by teaching others how to effectively communicate and get others to be successful as well.
The most important benefit of what is servant leadership comes from the leader himself. He or she understands that he or she is the driving force behind the team. By putting forth a vision and the ability to relate to others, the leader ensures that they work as a unit towards the collective goal. All of these skills are developed through professional development. Professionally developing leadership comes with experience and intuition. As you move further into the realm of professional development and leadership, you can begin to identify which areas you need to improve on.