5 Characteristics of Servant Leadership

Whether you’re starting in a leadership position or just looking to improve your leadership skills, here are five characteristics of servant leadership that you should focus on. The first characteristic is listening to your team members and others while also focusing on your own wants and needs. After that, you should accept people’s differences and empathetically listen to them. Finally, it would help if you addressed the wants and needs of your stakeholders as a top priority.

Listen intently to others

Having the ability to listen intently to others is a very important characteristic of servant leadership. This is a type of leadership that encourages team cohesion. This is achieved through enhancing trust.

Servant leaders focus on other people’s needs and strengths instead of their own. They are also committed to the personal growth of team members and identify and resolve issues that affect them as a leader. They are committed to fostering a sense of community in their teams.  Also they can make their team members feel valued and encouraged.

A good leader listens and provides feedback on other people’s words and actions. They ask questions to help reduce misunderstandings and pay attention to body language and use the right tone of voice. They know when to take a break and when to refocus.

Focus on the team, not the customer

Military commanders must make quick decisions during war, but there is no time for consultation with stakeholders. A similar situation can be applied to the workplace.

Servant leader knows that they must listen to the needs of their team. A servant leader’s job is to create a friendly work environment and empower their teammates. As a result, servant leaders develop strong, high-performing professionals.

One of the best things about servant leadership is that it allows leaders to get buy-in from their teams. The most effective leaders understand that their team’s best performance is often attributed to tasks done with passion. The more passionate employees on your team, the more likely they are to perform at their best.

Approach people with acceptance and empathy

Embracing empathy and approaching people with acceptance and compassion as a characteristic of servant leadership is a smart strategy for building a better community. It promotes personal growth and encourages employees to feel empowered to speak up about issues at work.

Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s perspective. It also involves a willingness to experience what the other person is experiencing. It is a skill that can be learned. Moreover, it is important to lead others through a process that will promote healing.

For example, a servant-first leader will put the needs of the team above his own. This creates a more welcoming environment and increases the motivation of the team. The team will be more likely to share ideas, discuss roadblocks, and increase their creativity.

Address stakeholder wants and requirements as their priority

Using the concept of servant leadership, leaders can create a better work environment. This leads to increased employee engagement and productivity. In addition, it is also believed that it can lead to economic growth.

It is also believed that servant leadership helps to reduce employee turnover and increase employee retention rates. It also helps to create a better work-life balance for employees. In addition, it is said that servant leadership can help to strengthen a company’s resiliency during periods of crisis. It is one of the best ways to build a successful team.

In addition to improving employee performance, servant leadership can boost your customer’s satisfaction levels. This is because it makes C-suite priorities concrete for the people who touch your customers daily.

Take time for yourself

Whether you are a novice or an experienced leader, you can learn to take time for yourself as a characteristic of servant leadership. Servant leaders prioritize team success and personal growth. They also create an environment that promotes innovation and encourages team members to grow professionally.

Servant leadership is an emerging leadership paradigm for the 21st century. It is based on a natural desire to serve others and promotes close listening and shows employees that they are valued and cared for as individuals. It is a style of leadership that encourages innovative efforts, builds trust between leaders and employees, and develops leadership skills in team members.

As a result, servant-leadership environments often have higher employee morale and stronger work culture. Empowered teammates are more likely to speak up about roadblocks in their work and increase their courage.