Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy where leaders serve others through words, deeds, thoughts – addressing their needs, problems, and helping them develop and grow. When you wipe the tears of others, when you give food to the hungry, when you feel the pain of others and try to give relief from that pain – you practice servant leadership principles.
I believe you become a servant leader when you understand this difference: when you shed tears for yourself, you may appear weak, but when you shed tears for others, it’s a powerful sign of empathetic leadership. As Billy Graham said, feeling the pain of others and doing something to give comfort during that pain represents true servant leadership characteristics. In my experience, servant leadership means putting others first, feeling their struggles as your own, and taking action to help them heal and grow through compassionate leadership.
What Does Servant Leadership Mean?
Servant leadership is based on serving—serving with mind, heart, and soul to one’s team and followers. It really helps people achieve their goals and arouses their ambitions. It does not rule like politicians or transformational leadership. Instead, it tries to build people up. “Servant” means a person who does your work, gives you benefits, and provides service with heart and soul.
What is servant leadership style?
Servant leadership style is like the caring nature of a mother. A mother cares deeply and serves unconditionally with heart and soul, loving without expecting anything in return. There is no replacement for a mother’s love. Like maternal love, servant leadership develops and builds people. Servant leaders care for others to help build their character and personality. They motivate people and inspire them to reach their full potential and achieve greatness.
What Are the 10 Principles of Servant Leadership?
Servant leadership, as envisioned by Robert K. Greenleaf, revolves around leaders who put their followers’ needs first to foster growth and fulfillment. Below, I’ll outline the first four foundational principles, refined for clarity and flow while staying true to their empathetic essence.
1. Listening: The Gateway to True Connection
Listening is a powerful tool in servant leadership. If you listen carefully, you give others the chance to express themselves, decrease their pain, and heal their wounds. In fact, attentive listening serves as half the medicine for any hurt and the foundation for solving any problem. It allows team members and followers to indicate their challenges openly, so you can step in to solve them and offer the best advice—as a true well-wisher would.
2. Empathy: Feeling the Heartbeat of Your Team
Empathy means seeing the world from someone else’s point of view—putting yourself in their shoes, walking their path, and feeling the depth of their pain, troubles, and weaknesses. When you do this, you’ll naturally want to provide a cure or support. Empathy is about truly feeling the pain of others, not just acknowledging it, which builds deep connections and trust.
3. Healing: Mending Wounds for Collective Strength
If you feel the pain of others, as a servant leader, you will strive to help them heal. Healing means giving your followers and team members the opportunity to rid themselves of their problems. You encourage them to overcome obstacles, offering support so they can emerge stronger and more resilient.
4. Awareness: The Mirror of Self and Others
Knowing yourself and others is a defining quality of the servant leader. A servant leader understands themselves deeply—their mind, emotions, physical health, actions, and behaviors—and this self-knowledge makes it easier to understand others. If you have no insight into your own emotions, actions, and reactions, you cannot fully grasp those of the people around you. So, by cultivating this awareness, servant leaders quickly identify their followers’ needs and problems, addressing them easily, quickly, and wisely.
5. Persuasion: Influencing with Grace, Not Force
Persuasion is a clear communication skill used to convince others to do what’s right. It inspires change through the use of gentle, non-judgmental arguments that align with shared values and reason. Servant leaders persuade by building consensus and trust, guiding teams toward positive outcomes without coercion.
6. Conceptualization: Crafting a Vision That Inspires
A servant leader shows a clear vision to others about the present and future. They know how to explain defined problems and solutions in ways that motivate action. As a true visionary, the servant leader outlines the big picture—the structure, mission, and goals for the team, projects, and followers. This clarity draws people in, making it easy for followers to understand and embrace it, so they follow with purpose and enthusiasm.
7. Foresight: Anticipating Tomorrow with Heart and Wisdom
Foresight is the ability to see the future clearly. A servant leader possesses the foresight to anticipate the world ahead, foreseeing coming days by viewing everything with heart. They feel the echoes of the past, the pulse of the present, and the whispers of the future. This deep intuition allows them to predict what will happen and when, guiding decisions with ethical wisdom and proactive grace.
8.Stewardship
Servant leaders take responsibility for everything under their care. They accept full responsibility for managing work, teams, and followers, focusing on leading toward meaningful results. This leadership approach brings major transformation to both followers and organizations. People naturally develop trust in this type of leadership because servant leaders demonstrate genuine care and accountability.
9.Commitment to the Growth of People
Servant leadership has one primary goal: growth, growth, and growth. This leadership style is dedicated to developing and growing people at every level. Leaders who embrace this approach have a deep commitment to both their own growth and the growth of others, recognizing that personal and professional development is essential for any business, team, and organization to thrive.
This leadership philosophy involves taking a genuine interest in developing people’s skills and understanding different perspectives and ideas. Servant leaders actively create opportunities for others to grow and reach their full potential, fostering an environment where everyone can flourish and contribute meaningfully to the organization’s success.
10. Building Community: Weaving a Family of Shared Purpose
Building community is the heartbeat of servant leadership, where leaders foster environments that feel like family. They create opportunities for everyone—team members, followers, and the entire organization—to live better lives, explore their true selves, and share interests and ideas freely with one another. In this unified space, people feel safe, secure, and empowered to express themselves without fear, leading to deeper connections and collective thriving
