In search of servant Leadership

How can a leader be a servant? Looks like a seemingly confusing connection. In a world where leadership is associated with power, prestige and pageantry, a noteworthy departure of a rare breed is evident. In fact, today, being Easter Sunday is a significant day to discuss servant leadership.

Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples and called on them to do the same for others. He shared the parable of the good shepherd, who takes care of the flock.

Leadership is not about positions and titles, but about decisions and actions. It is essentially a mindset. We look at the leaders at the top but not the 'leaders at the tap'.

Servant leadership is one way of looking at the dynamics of leadership. It is perhaps, one of the most ancient forms of leadership, aptly found in all great religious founders. When you consider the 550 Jathaka stories, more than 50 percent of the time, the Bodhisathva is portrayed as a leader. In some cases, as one who serves others. In brief, a servant leader is a servant first. The simple motto is service first.

Chanakya, the famous author of Arthashastra, wrote, in the 4th century BC - "The king (leader) shall consider as good, not what pleases himself but what pleases his subjects (followers)."

"The king (leader) is a paid servant and enjoys the resources of the state together with the people."

As in the case of most management concepts, what was practised for along time got branded as 'servant leadership' in the West. Robert Greenleaf, a scholar from USA got the credit for documenting the features and facets of servant leaders.

Test

Having worked for AT&T for several decades, he realised the limitations of typical administrative leaders. Having contemplated an alternative, the resulting model was the repackaged concept of servant leadership.

Let's look at how he describes the concept further.

"The servant-leader is servant first. Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is a leader first. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served.

The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is - Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely to become servants themselves?"

Servant-leaders achieve results for their organisations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve. Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organisation's physical, financial and most importantly, human resources.

You can't serve others without properly listening to them. A servant leader has the motivation to listen actively to his team and supports them in decision identification. This applies particularly to paying attention to the unspoken. This means relying on his or her inner voice and finding out what the body, mind and spirit are communicating.

Listening

Mahathma Gandhi did that with fellow Indians. Managers need to do that with their teams. CEOs need to do that with their employees. In essence, servant leaders listen with care. As we discussed last week, Sri Lankan business leaders can improve their current level of listening to a much higher level.

A servant leader attempts to understand and empathise with others. Workers may be considered not only as employees, but also as people who need respect and appreciation for their personal development.

Japanese business leaders have demonstrated this characteristic a lot in their typical approach to work.. Here, leadership is seen as a special type of human work, which ultimately generates a competitive advantage.

A great strength of a servant leader is the ability for healing oneself and others. A servant leader tries to help people by solving their problems and conflicts in relationships, because he or she wants to develop the abilities of each person. This leads to the formation of a business culture, in which the working environment is characterised by dynamic, fun and no fear of failure.

Mother Theresa did this with destitute street children. HR professionals can demonstrate this in their coaching and counselling activities.

Every manager can be a healer in such a manner that he or she strengthens inter-personal relationships.

A Servant Leader does not take advantage of his power and status by forcing others to comply. He or she rather tries to convince them.

This element distinguishes servant leadership most clearly from traditional, authoritarian models and can be traced back to the religious views of the inventor Robert Greenleaf.

This is one area where Sri Lankan managers can learn. Instead of forcing people to do things, convincing them of the benefits of doing particular things is what is needed.

Servant leadership is seen as an obligation to help and serve others. Openness and persuasion are more important than control. It reminds me what Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike told the nation. The prime obligation of the man is to serve mankind. This offers fresh insights about our traditional leadership hierarchy. Instead of looking up to see how your boss is doing, you should look in front to see whether your customers are delighted or not.

The golden maxim echoes in my mind. Those who serve deserve leadership.

The writer is the Acting Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Division of Management and Entrepreneurship, Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma, USA.