Leading from Behind: The Power of Servant Leadership in a Fresh Start or Reboot
Imagine this: you've joined a company, or perhaps your current organization has undergone a major overhaul. The structure is new, the team is forming, and the path forward is clear but will be a winding road. In a structure like this, traditional leadership styles might feel out of place. But there's an approach that thrives in the fertile ground of new beginnings: servant leadership.
Servant leadership flips the traditional leadership model upside down. Instead of focusing on directing and controlling, the servant leader prioritizes the needs and growth of their team and organization. This approach is a potentially great fit for a young or retooled organization:
Empowerment Over Dictatorship: In a new or retooled/restructured company, everyone is figuring it out. Servant leaders empower team members by fostering a culture of ownership and encouraging creative problem-solving. This distributed approach taps into the collective intelligence of the team, leading to innovative solutions.
Building Trust in Uncertain Times: Let’s face it, change is hard and can lead to feelings of uncertainty. Servant leaders prioritize open communication, actively listening to team concerns and fostering a safe space for honest feedback. This builds trust, which is essential for navigating new territory together.
Focus on Growth, Not Just Results: While results are important, the initial stages of a new organization are about learning and growth. Servant leaders invest in their team's development, providing opportunities for training, mentorship, and building new or undeveloped skills. This equips everyone to take on future challenges.
Putting Servant Leadership into Action
So, how do you actually embody servant leadership in a new organization? Here are a few tips:
Be a Listener: Encourage open communication and actively listen and respond to your team's ideas and concerns.
Focus on Strengths: Help team members identify and leverage their own strengths to benefit the team as a whole.
Delegate and Empower: Trust your team with ownership of tasks and projects. Provide guidance, but don't micromanage.
Celebrate Successes (Big and Small): Acknowledge and celebrate achievements, both big and small. This fosters a positive and motivated team environment.
Lead by Example: Be willing to roll up your sleeves and work alongside your team. Show them you're in it together. However, be careful of dictating how to do things. Taking the approach of “This is how I do it, how would you accomplish this?” You may learn something and this fosters good communications, trust and community.
Leading a new, retooled, rebooted or revamped organization requires a leadership style that fosters collaboration, trust, and growth. By embracing the servant leadership mentality, empowering a team to navigate uncertainty and build a foundation for long-term success is much more likely to succeed.
Do you have experience with servant leadership in a new organization? Share your thoughts…
