Post 3 – Principles of Servant Leadership

Principles of Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is something that I have been taught by example (without ever consciously knowing what it was or labelling it) since a small child growing up.  My Dad was the prime example of what it means to be a servant leader.  My Dad ran his own human resource company, hired by companies to assist people who had been let go from their jobs due to downsizing or other more personal issues.  My family all knew how hard my Dad worked. He would often take phone calls from people in crisis well into the night and on weekends. When he passed away in 2007, the line up at each viewing stretched out the door of the funeral home and around the corner.  Person after person would share with me stories of how my Dad had touched their lives and things he had done (mostly without anyone else ever knowing) to help others be successful.  My Dad knew how to listen, was extremely empathetic, took care of others and was fully committed to helping others grow.  Thursday was the anniversary of his passing, and 11 years after his death, people still share stories with me of how my Dad reached out to them.  I am extremely lucky to have had this example set before me, because it has affected how I have approached every opportunity and relationship in life.

Northouse (2019) referring to Spears (2002), outlines ten characteristics that servant leaders possess. He states that; servant leaders listen first, they are able to see things from another person’s perspective by empathizing, they genuinely care about the well being of others, are aware of the impact their actions have on others, are non-judgemental in their persuasiveness, are able to see the big picture when they visualize,  they understand that they are ultimately responsible for the greater good of the organization/society and hold themselves accountable when things go wrong, they treat people as valuable assets and invest in their growth and as a result they enable people to connect to and value something that is bigger than themselves by building community (2019).   As far as leadership traits, this list is impressive!  Just like the title of servant leadership implies, none of these attributes are self serving.

I took the personal inventory of servant leadership survey and a few key things stood out for me. Firstly,  I have some more work to do! One area in particular is that of awareness. I need to become more aware of my political and social environments. I do try to practice this, but I admit that I need to work on stepping back before stepping in.  This year in particular, I have come into an environment where there are well established workplace politics and social environments in existence.  The antecedent conditions of context and culture along with follower receptivity definitely apply to my new role (Northouse, 2019).  Northouse acknowledges this can be an issue when people do not necessarily wish to be recipients of  servant leadership; “culture influences the way servant leadership is to be achieved (2019, p. 234)” and “it appears that, for some followers, servant leadership has a positive impact and, for others, servant leadership is not effective (2019, p. 234)”.   Northouse refers to Linden et al. (Linden et al., 2008) and his question, “Do all followers show a desire for servant leadership? Research suggests the answer may be no. Some followers do not want to work with servant leaders. They equate servant leadership with micromanagement, and report that they do not want their leader to get to know them or try to help, develop or guide them (Northouse, 2019, p. 234)”.  Although the culture and receptiveness might not welcome servant leadership at the moment, it isn’t something that I plan to abandon.   When things go wrong, I need to be able to view things less personally and more from the perspective of the bigger picture.  I can be overly sensitive and jump to conclusions, creating stories in my head that don’t exist. By taking a step back and learning how to be more objectively aware of the context of situations, I can be a better servant leader.

One  principle area of servant leadership that will help me better develop my ability to be more aware is by continuing to listen first.  I love this principle of Servant Leadership!  If I can listen first, I will essentially be putting others first. By demonstrating the ability to listen not just with my ears but with my heart, I will be able to genuinely acknowledge that I am receptive to others opinions and perspectives.  I have worked with many leaders who model this example. They are the people who put away their devices, stop what they are doing and provide their full attention to the speaker.  They listen without interrupting and without judgement.  This is something that I believe so firmly in and try and practice in all areas of my life.  By listening, we learn more than we ever could by talking. An example of this, is when a student comes to talk to me about a problem they are having with an assignment during my lunch hour.  Even though it’s the first time, I’ve sat down all day for a second, I know that by putting aside my sandwich, and stopping what I was doing to focus wholly on them, I am demonstrating that they matter to me. Often times, it is during these moments, that the topic of conversation shifts from the minor assignment issue to what is really troubling them in other areas of their life. By listening, we show we care more than we ever could by jumping in and trying to problem solve.  It is sometimes hard to not want to problem solve, especially if we’ve been there and done that. A funny example of listening without trying to problem solve is this short video entitled ‘It’s Not About the Nail’. However, we all know that the best gift we can give someone else is to show them care and empathy by just listening.

Another principle of servant leadership that is most dear to my heart is empathy. Empathy according to Northouse (2019) is, “being able to stand in the shoes of another person and attempting to see the world from that person’s point of view. Empathetic servant leaders demonstrate that they truly understand what followers are thinking and feeling. When a servant leader shows empathy, it is confirming and validating for the follower. It makes the follower feel unique (p. 229)”.  When I think of empathy, I automatically think of Brené Brown. I love her message and have read all of her books and watched all of her Tedtalks on Youtube. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out some of her writing, I strongly recommend her! She talks about empathy in one of her Tedtalks. You can see the short clip here.  In our busy lives, we sometimes want to provide the easy fix. It takes courage to be vulnerable ourselves to reach a place where we can genuinely empathize with others and what they are going through. Brené shares in her video clip that empathy connects people and refers to it as “feeling with people”.  In her Tedtalk, she says that there are 4 components to empathy; perspective, staying out of judgement, recognizing emotion and communicating that to others.  As an educator, empathy plays a huge role in my daily interactions with students. Not just in my demonstrating it, but in helping to teach empathy.  We had a guest speaker (Kevin Brooks) come in and talk to the grade 12’s about his experience living life as a paralyzed young man.  His paralysis was the result of a car accident from which he was the driver.  His decision to drive while under the influence, cost the life of his best friend who was his passenger as well as his own ability to ever walk again. He shared how much he took for granted before his accident, how he wasn’t aware before just how much his actions and choices could affect others. He talked about how the grace and forgiveness of his friend’s parents and how hard it has been for him to know that he was responsible for taking the life of his friend.  Throughout his honest and pain wrenching talk, the room full of almost 400 students was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop. By the end, students were in tears and wriggling their own toes, grateful that they still could. At the front of the room stood a lone empty chair. It represented the life lost. Students pictured their own friends and family members, and felt empathy for this young man who once was a high performing athlete, now strapped into his wheelchair so he wouldn’t topple out.  It was a lesson in empathy. Students mourned for this man who was a stranger to them only an hour prior.  It gave me hope for the future and for society. Empathy definitely has a ripple affect and allows for kindness to be paid forward and for community to be built.

I am looking forward to my journey of becoming a better servant leader. I know I have a long way to go still, but am thankful for the examples of others who are willing to be vulnerable and courageous in its pursuit like my Dad was and Brenè Brown is.

How can we encourage empathy in our day to day interactions within our organizations as we practice servant leadership?