Last Updated on May 30, 2025 by Dave Schoenbeck
Years ago, I worked for a forward-thinking company that valued servant leadership above all other management tactics. While it was an unpopular idea in the industry at the time, I can attest that those servant leadership characteristics provided a robust education for me as an emerging leader, and this concept has forever imprinted my leadership style.
What is Servant Leadership?
The Center for Servant Leadership defines the concept as follows: “The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.”
Servant leadership is the philosophy of leading through service. That is to say, managers don’t think of themselves as “bosses.” Rather than becoming preoccupied with their success, servant leaders believe their purpose is to nurture their associates and contribute to the company’s overall success, rather than attending to their desires.
This might sound simple in theory, but it requires a genuine desire to serve for servant leadership to become an integral part of your company culture. If you have a manager who is more driven by the bottom line or their success than by helping the people on your team, you will have a problem. The focus should be on supporting your teammates to succeed; from there, the business will naturally grow and thrive.
In other words, if the leader takes care of the team, the team will, in turn, take care of the customers. The customers reward us with sales and profits, which take care of the business. The result: the business takes care of the leader. It is a cycle of success that justifies and supports investing in servant leadership.
How it Works
In a high-stress business environment, it’s easy to become so preoccupied with your goals that you must pay attention to the people who work for you. If someone makes a costly mistake, your first instinct might be to reprimand or discipline them in some way. The servant leader, however, would use the error as an opportunity to coach that teammate, ensuring their growth, rather than tearing them down.
Ultimately, servant leadership revolves around encouraging your team’s growth and recognizing that your role as a manager is to ensure their success, rather than your own. Authentic leadership requires empathy for every employee. John Maxwell’s book, The Law of the Picture, goes into this in-depth.
5 Key Servant Leadership Characteristics
- Compassion. Servant leaders recognize that their employees are individuals. If someone makes a mistake, respond with kindness. If an employee is going through something outside of work, give them the resources they need to get through it.
- Self-awareness. Servant leaders must be aware of the persona they are projecting to their people. As their manager, your team looks to you to provide an example. Be mindful of your behavior and model it after what you want to see in the workplace.
- Humility. Don’t be so full of pride that you believe any task is “below” you. Be willing to perform any function, no matter how menial, in the name of service and communal success.
- Stewardship. One of the most critical characteristics of servant leadership is stewardship, which is the desire to serve others. This concept is at the very heart of servant leadership.
- Commitment. Servant leaders must be committed to their team. By ensuring each has the means to succeed, the potential for your organization’s success becomes limitless.
My leadership style was shaped in a people-first company that started each day concerned about supporting its teammates and delivering profits. If you’re interested in learning how servant leadership principles can benefit your business, please click here to fill out my contact form. I know how to help you bring servant leadership to reality.
Coach Dave
