Servant Leadership: How Being Servant Leader Helps You Grow Professionally

Even though modern-day servant leadership has been around since the 1970’s, it hasn’t become the universal norm in companies. It raises the question, why? In fact, it makes me wonder if leaders themselves don’t understand what’s in it for them. Being a servant leader helps you grow in so many ways.



Servant Leader: Image is a small apple and a larger apple.

How Being a Servant Leader Helps You Grow Professionally Too. Image by Gabriel LI via Flickr Creative Commons License.

Image by Gabriel LI via Flickr Creative Commons License.


How Servant Leadership Helps Leaders Grow

Of course, servant leadership benefits employees. Servant leaders listen to and engage employees. The employees can see their purpose, value, and a sense of true belonging. They see themselves growing as they work everyday. All of this leads and sustains morale. Clearly, some leaders see all of this as a win for themselves too. They are stewarding employee development and unearthing the leadership within the employees.

This doesn’t threaten the servant leaders. They are confident they are NOT sacrificing their future for the employees. In fact, these leaders realize that they as leaders will have more opportunities as the current employees create massive success and feel fulfilled at the same time.

Yet other leaders don’t see it that way. They think that they will be trading in their future just to make employees feel good. This is a fear not a fact. Here’s how servant leadership helps you as leaders too.


What’s In It For the Servant Leaders?


  1. Extra eyes and ears for you. As you engage employees and listen, you get a much clearer picture of the challenges your organization faces. Instead of being afraid of listening, be grateful for how it helps you.

  2. Employee respect for your self-confidence. Sharing power is a sign of strength. As you engage employees in decision making, the employees see just how strong you are and their respect for you grows and grows. Employees love working for leaders who are confident (not arrogant). And their respect helps you as leaders overcome self-doubt.

  3. More influence Through Empathy Than With Fear

  4. Increased influence. Would you rather have a leader give you empathy or make you feel afraid? Most people would rather feel empathy than fear. Servant leaders give empathy and that gives them more influence with those they lead. This is simple human nature.

  5. Greater emotional intelligence. As you get closer to your employees through your servant leadership, you start to understand people more and more. Your emotional intelligence and intuition get stronger. This gives you the capacity to lead many different people in new situations. There is very little that can stop your success when you have that kind of agility.

  6. Never Ending Learning w/ Servant Leadership

  7. Steady stream of growth. If there is one thing leaders must do to succeed long term, it is learn. And servant leaders are far ahead of traditional leaders on this. Their learning happens every minute of every work day. It is dynamic and delivers revelations that take them far.



Servant Leadership: One Final Question and Take-Away

If this list of of benefits of being a servant leader hasn’t convinced you, ask yourself why. What is it, still, about servant leadership that concerns you? Is it the word ‘servant’? If it is, remember that servant does not mean servitude. Being in service to others doesn’t mean you are a nothing. In fact, being a servant leader gives you everything you like and want about being a leader because you are giving employees everything they want and need from you.



How has servant leaders helped you?



From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™

Related Posts:
9 Hidden Places to Discover Your Empathy
What Happened Before Can Awaken Your Empathy in Servant Leadership Now

©2021 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com for permission and guidelines. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.


Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.

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2 Responses to “Servant Leadership: How Being Servant Leader Helps You Grow Professionally”

  1. RAM KUMAR says:

    Hi Kate

    Good read. Thanks for sharing. No disrespect please.
    My views….’Servant Leadership’ is a concept introduced much
    1970, in fact by JESUS CHRIST (a perfect role model).
    Gospel John 13 clearly explains the act. Finally Jesus says I
    have set you an example…(A LEADER must serve first).

    Thanks for sharing Kate.

    God Bless

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Hi Ram,
      There are many others who see it as you do. In any case, the concept of service to others will always ring out and touch those you lead/serve.

      Thanks for adding your voice to this discussion.
      Kate

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