Many servant leaders don’t even consider themselves leaders. It’s not for lack of ability or belief in their abilities, but they believe all their employees are leaders, as well as followers.
What we traditionally think of as a leader doesn’t encourage the idea that all employees are leaders. There is usually a hierarchy, which informs the types of skills people in various roles will have.
Under servant leadership ideals, every employee has the opportunity to be a leader, even if they are technically a “non-leader.”
Employees and leaders can hone and strengthen many of the same skills:
Attitude
How are you coming across? Does your attitude lift up and encourage people, or intimidate and demotivate them?
Attitude is something everyone can work on. It is in how you carry yourself, communicate, work, show respect and interact with those around you.
A positive attitude can inspire and motivate people, where a negative attitude can have the exact opposite influence. When difficult situations arise, attitude and perspective will inform the outcome.
Individuals can choose their attitude, so choose positivity; choose to empower people; choose to inspire and motivate.
Project Management
Nowadays, results are a product of many actions and how they form a whole, rather than singular cause and effect actions.
These type of workers are called “knowledge workers,” and they are masters of project management, They see the whole picture, rather than just one portion.
They organize projects based on a starting point and desired outcome, then see the project to its completion.
Successful project management takes a plethora of important skills: communication, vision, innovation, focus and so on. The list never ends but will vary depending on the business.
Teamwork
Never underestimate the power in numbers. A servant leader and non-leader understands this concept and highly values teamwork.
It takes a village to raise a child and a team to build a company. The most effective teams welcome diversity of skills, experiences and backgrounds, to capitalize on varying strengths and talents.
Leaders and non-leaders require skill to work as a productive unit and support one another with a common goal.
Vision
How information and goals are communicated to a team supports the vision of a business. What is important? What does this company value? Where are we heading? Where have we been, and what did we learn?
Teams should prioritize ways to unite members under a common vision and mission to achieve improved performance and results.
We Can Help
Is your company lacking executive bandwidth? Are you going through a leadership transition?
Do you just need a few extra hands on deck for the duration of a project? We can help. Ask us about our Executive Talent Solutions.