There has been a major shift in our society, particularly in terms of the focus of our economy and workforce. The service industry has been brought to the forefront, with organizations everywhere placing emphasis on the services they can provide to their clients. It is no longer simply the products they create that entice potential customers to see the value in their company and what they are offering. The value customers are looking for now comes bundled with a certain level of services the organization can provide them to accompany those products. In a society where the service industry is in full force, shaping and molding the expectations of individuals all over the world, it should not come as a shock that servant leadership is also gaining traction. But to some, it is shocking. Some individuals cannot fathom the concept of a servant leader because it contradicts the traditional conceptualization of what a leader is or what a leader should be (PSU WC, 2020). Traditional, leader-centered theories dissect leadership by way of investigating leaders’ attitudes and behaviors and their impact on organizational outcomes. Essentially, the leader bears the responsibility of the organization’s success and failures. Despite the tradition of the heroic leader, servant leadership is proving to be a strong contender among other effective leadership theories.
In a service-oriented society, it is only fitting that servant-leadership becomes more relevant, especially in the business world. In her article, Are You Ready To Become A Servant Leader? Sally Percy (2018) notes that “Servant leadership favors a people-centric approach rather than a process-centric approach.” The general concept of servant leadership is that leaders choose to lead because they have a desire to serve others. They invest their time, energy, and effort into their followers and their growth and development. By shifting their focus on developing their followers, leaders are able to strengthen the relationship with their followers, further their skills, competencies, and self-reliance, as well as strengthen their staffing “bench”, which in turn, allows the leader to grow and develop, and provides benefits to the overall success of the organization. Because organizations are seeing benefits in servant-leadership, more emphasis is being placed on leaders to build their bunch, meaning develop their followers into more capable, well-rounded individuals. That is not to say that all organizations are on board with this type of leadership, but there have been organizations that have demonstrated considerable benefits by adopting servant-style leadership.
A handful of organizations have repeatedly come into the conversation because of their dedication to implementing a servant leadership approach. Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Nordstrom have all been highlighted as organizations who have been exemplary trailblazers in servant-leadership. One of the essential outcomes of servant-leadership is that the leader’s desire to serve others will translate into the service the followers provide to others as well. This is one of Chick-fil-A’s primary goals; take care of your employees and they will take care of the customers in a similar manner. As Northouse (2016) discussed, servant leaders, inspire and motivate their followers by showing them empathy, truly listening to them and their needs, and most importantly, demonstrating a commitment to their growth, personally and professionally. As an example, Starbucks as an organization shows dedication to its employee’s growth and development by investing in their education. They have partnered with a university and assist employees with paying their college tuition. The leaders of the organization have shown that they understand who their employees are and that furthering their education is a priority to some of them. To the employees who might not have thought about continuing their education because of barriers such as a lack of financial support, with Starbucks’ program, they might be more apt to give it a thought. This type of support and encouragement coming from higher levels can strengthen the loyalty and desire to be a productive contributor to an organization’s mission. In order for a servant-leader to be successful, it is essential that the organization itself is able to cultivate a servant-environment. Companies like Chick-fil-A and Starbucks are widely successful because they embody this servant-like environment.
However, creating a servant-like environment might be easier said than done. Organizations that are able to couple what they hope to give to their customers, in terms of value, experience, and services, with the manner in which they lead and develop their team, might be able to master the art of servant-leadership. If leaders are able to familiarize themselves with the goals they have for servicing their customers, they might be able to make the connection between that type of service and the service they should provide to their followers. If leaders put their follower’s needs first they will be able to demonstrate their investment in them and in turn build trust and loyalty between them. That trust “encourages followers to grow as servant leaders themselves while maximizing their potential, which in turn, benefits the organization” (PSU WC, 2020). Implementing a top-down approach to serving others can significantly improve employee’s overall organizational commitment and productivity.
While servant-leadership has been around for decades, research is scratching the surface of identifying significant benefits in adopting a service approach. Because of our ever-changing work and social world, we have seen culture shifts to a more collaborative and cohesive group. Our constant need for connection with others and purpose in life and work makes servant-leadership an approach that is well-suited for our current society. Is it right or even possible to emulate for everyone and in every situation? No. But for those who are able to master it and for followers seeking that type of leader, the organizations experiencing it have seen increasingly more positives than negatives in its implementation.
References
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2020). PSYCH 485: Leadership in Work Settings. Lesson 11:
Servant Leadership. Retrieved from:
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2045005/modules/items/28166673
Percy, S. (2018). Are You Ready To Become A Servant Leader? Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypercy/2018/08/02/are-you-ready-to-become-a-servant-
leader/#58684ea7bc7d
Jes McAdam-Sellers says
Thanks for sharing!
There are a number of industries where servant leadership is a compelling and authentic approach that helps achieve business outcomes. It should come as no surprise that service industries are particularly well situated to benefit from this leadership approach. Ling, Lin, and Wu (2016) performed an interesting study on the results of servant leadership in the hospitality field. They discovered a trickle-down effect that existed in the hotel sector. Primarily they found that each role had a specific set of tasks that were most effective at their level in embracing servant leadership.
• Top Level leadership should be responsible for strategy, visioning, and taking responsibility.
• Mid level leaders should focus demonstrating care for their employees, and growing and developing them
• In turn, Front Line employee’s attitudes and beliefs were likely to be positively affected.
Is it really any surprise that this would happen? I believe it is unreasonable to expect an employee to demonstrate empathy, care and respect if they do not feel their leaders are capable of this as well. If a company is stingy with employment benefits and practices, won’t they also be stingy with customers?
Wong & Davey (2007) provide this framework of practices for establishing a culture of servant leadership in an organization. They include:
• Right identity – Seeing oneself as a servant
• Right motivation – Serving others becomes the reward
• Right method – Relating to others in a positive manner
• Right impact – Inspiring others to serve a higher purpose
• Right character – Maintaining integrity and authenticity
These are particularly interesting to me because they deal, in large part, with how we manage our own thoughts and actions. I believe this is why servant leadership is so accessible – on the complete other end of the spectrum of the great man theory- anyone can serve others. The key is to do it with authenticity.
qkm5011 says
I thought that your thought process of this whole situation that the world is experiencing was different than others and mine as well. Your perspective was set to not only the frontline but to the other servant leader as well. So far we have been told to practice simple techniques like social distancing, proper hand washing, wearing face masks when going out into public, staying 6ft away from others, closing all non- life essential business. However there are still local restaurant business that are open for delivery and fast food resultants, grocery stores and these people are still putting themselves out there to help us. They are doing their part to keep these business up and running to the circumstances that they are under.
As Northouse (2016) discussed, servant leaders, inspire and motivate their followers by showing them empathy, truly listening to them and their needs, and most importantly, demonstrating a commitment to their growth, personally and professionally. Not not due to this pandemic happening there are many other examples that could be used to demonstrate servant leaders. Education is a great example that I didn’t think about until I read your blog. These leaders are taking responsibility to educate others, and we as the followers are taking what they have presented us. We are motivated by our peers and leader and we talk what were leading and applying it to the real world, so what they are teaching us is important on their part. They need to make sure that yes they might know what they need to motivate us but they need to keep an open mind on what else we could be doing as servant leaders to influence and motivate us.
References
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Madison Bridget Laezzo says
Hello! I liked your perspective on the shock factor that is related to servant leadership. It is surprising to see when a leader does not necessarily have all the controls within an organization, and instead gives more power to their employees. Many people usually prefer more structure in the workforce with the boss at the forefront, making the executives decisions, and the employees doing what they are told. However, there has been a shift in roles that employees and employers have. I like how you noted the change from process- centric to people- centric because it shows a change in priorities for the company. In many cases, it comes down to the bottom line for businesses as they guide their decisions based on profit, and not on the wellbeing of their employees. However, servant leadership instead focuses on the employees and works to help them develop and grow into innovators and business- minded leaders. One example where this has worked effectively is at Google (Tait, 2020). Here, they have implemented employee- friendly policies that as a result, have increased productivity and revenue. As you mentioned, organizations are seeing benefits in the company as a result of servant leadership methods. When workers are given the opportunity to grow and learn, they become more well- rounded and become better at their job. This can boost the confidence in workers and feel like the company they work for truly cares about helping them and wanting them to succeed.
Your example of Chick- fil- A’s initiative to motivate their employees by inspiring them and showing empathy, is a great way that companies have incorporated the servant leadership approach. Conceptualizing a vision can help employees feel motivated to want to work hard to make this vision come true (Tait, 2020). As you mentioned, Chick- fil- A’s goal is to take care of their employees and they will take care of the customers in the same way. By having a vision, it can create a sense of direction for their employees in terms of how to treat the customers and how the employees will be treated in return. Starbucks is another great example of how companies show commitment and build a community (Tait, 2020). They know the importance of their employees getting an education and understand that it may be difficult to do when they have a job. As a result, they offer assistance in paying tuition to ensure that they employees are taken care of. This generosity helps build a strong community amongst the entire company because employees understand how well respected and cared, and as a result, they may be more inclined to work harder and boost productivity.
I also agree that servant leadership may not be the right fit for all business, because different companies require different responsibilities from their employees. However, many aspects can be used as a way to boost confidence amongst the employees. For instance, having a leader who cares about their employees and is willing to listen to the concerns and ideas may be beneficial for the entire team. It can make workers feel like they have a say in the business, and leaders can feel more connected to their employees. Great post!
Tait, B. (2020). Traditional Leadership Vs. Servant Leadership. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/03/11/traditional-leadership-vs-servant-leadership/#548946cc451e