Make No Mistake - Servant Leadership is NOT Weak Leadership

Many people assume when they hear the term servant leadership that it must be a weaker form of being a leader. Unfortunately, leadership I soften misunderstood or used synonymously with ‘in charge.’ As we discussed in our previous article, servant leadership is neither about ‘being in charge’ or being a weak, passive leader.I find it unusual that many people see serving others as a sign of potential weakness or being soft. I would likely assume those same people see accountability as a weapon or something you do to people, versus creating an environment for them to be accountable for their own actions. Serving others does not need to imply that you will be ordered around by them or that they will not hear your words or advice. I can think of numerous roles where the traditional form of serving also implies the sharing of knowledge and expertise. Think of any salesperson in a retail store or a server at a restaurant - they are each serving you as a customer, but we also look to them for their advice and knowledge.It is a mindset shift to see leaders as servants, but that shift must first come from the leaders. This alone begins to separate everyday leaders from servant leaders. There is a level of confidence and strength that must be present to push against established norms of what a leaders role is. Becoming a servant leader is a Think Different moment. I believe most people would agree that being courageous of a core competency of any leader. Stepping outside of a standard definition of leadership certainly requires courage to make that leap and then continue to wage the battle of resistance they will face.Serving others seems like it should be seen in a positive light in all instances. So why do people challenge the notion of serving others as a form of leadership?

Defining what you don’t understand as weak or non-desirable

We continue to see examples in our everyday lives where the ideas that people do not fully understand, they diminish, point to their weakness, and show them in a less than desirable way. Their lack of knowledge or opening to learning new things can create a sense of fear and the need to tarnish the new idea or way of thinking to prevent change from occurring. These can be subtle or overt, but there are countless instances that any of us could point to.A change in thinking is itself a courageous move. There is risk associated with learning to lead in uncommon ways. The risk only increases as you begin to put those learnings into actions, especially if you are leading in an environment that doesn’t eagerly embrace change. However, think about all of the people who have made widely known about contributions to the world and the risks they took.Was Steve Jobs a servant leader? Based on many of the stories published about him, the obvious answer would be a resounding ‘no.’ He was portrayed as a tyrant in many instances, stubborn ins way of thinking. However, you also hear stories of how he pushed individuals to new peaks in their potential, how he challenged others to think beyond their current knowledge and to always take pride in the craftsmanship of the work they do, whether customers would see it directly or not. In many ways, he did set aside what others would think of his ideas and then create something that changed peoples lives. In the end, I do believe served others in his leadership. While I am not advocating that some of his other behaviors are how everyone should go about leading, his thought process of making everyone around him better is characteristic of a servant leader.In true servant leadership style, help to educate those around you about what servant leadership is. Do not let the lack of knowledge become a barrier to you serving others in your role as leader.

They have never experienced this type of leader before

Related to the lack of knowledge is the lack of experience. If you have never worked for someone that identifies as or behaves like a servant leader you likely would not understand what that type of leadership looks like. This may be the most difficult barrier to overcome for any of us. There are not a lot of clearly defined servant leaders in the world today. There are plenty of articles and books on the subject, so we must begin there to form the embodiment of what a servant leader looks like to us.When something is seemingly so rare, we may question if it really exists at all, or if it is a theory in a book. Not having experienced someone that can serve others in a leadership role would make you question whether it is a possibility or not. However, I believe that most of us have at least come in contact with leaders that exhibit some of the servant leaders traits some of the time. I would like to believe that show some of these traits in my actions as a leader and what I share in my writings. From that, I hope others are inspired to try some of the same things themselves and build on other learnings they have. Ultimately that is the way any leader would grow into one who consistently serves others. We must take what we do know and continue to practice, experiment, and develop into what others see as serving them in the best way.There is not a perfect servant leader. Few would look the same, even if we did line them all up to compare. What they have in common is the idea that they see their role as helping to develop others, encouraging ongoing learning, and providing an environment where all of that is possible. The concept of serving takes on many forms and is situational. I do not think it is a mistake that Ken Blanchard and his company are seen as leading authorities on both servant leadership and situational leadership. They go hand in hand.As we continue to look at servant leadership and many of the benefits that come from embracing this mindset, it becomes clear that leading in this way is anything but weak. Serving others can deliver positive, consistent, and meaningful results in almost every way we measure a leader.What are some other reasons you believe people may see servant leadership as a potential weakness? How could those be overcome? Share your thoughts in the comments section.Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.