The Best Leadership Style - Servant Leadership

When it comes to leadership, most people would know the Traditional Leader. The power monger, the control freak. He/She who wants to know everything that their people do. It is rather a rank many people aspire to achieve.

People will do that and achieve results as well. However, that will be mediocre and nobody will be involved in the process. They finish the job as ordered and hop onto the next task.

Well, the best form of leadership is Servant Leadership.

Servant Leadership style is about putting your people ahead of everything else. There is no autocratic power and control but rather you collaborate and lead. You genuinely care for them to succeed and your role is that of an enabler. The ultimate goal in this style of leadership is to serve. Come to think of it, any organization serves humankind in one way or the other. This is no power in that equation.

It can be hard to practice servant leadership because generally people take that for weakness or the person is trying to avoid responsibility.  

Ask yourselves if you resonate with these behaviours.

1. If you tend to listen more and speak less in most of the meetings
2. If you are doing the same type of work you ask the directs to do.  
3. If you fiercely protect your team and own up to the mistakes. If you stand up with your team and give them the credit for success.  
4. If you are spending at least 25% of your time in developing and mentoring your directs.
5. If your entire organization finds it at ease to connect with you and ask you questions.
6. If you are collaborating and taking the effort to know everyone's opinion before an initiative.
7. If your directs feel confident to criticise you and question your decisions.
8. If you know your directs family details and the circumstances around them.
9. If you tend to use more of 'We' than 'I".
10. If you are particularly proud about your EQ more than your IQ.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” - Lao Tzu

The above is one of my favourite quotes when it comes to leadership. People are capable and they can deliver more than you anticipate if only you can give them space!

So what is your leadership style?