The heart of leadership is service. Are you truly a servant leader? Do you focus on adding value to others? We will share 10 signs that show whether you are a true servant leader. We strongly encourage you read till the end. Use these points to evaluate and improve your servant leadership.
We are all called to be leaders in different capacities.
We are all called to be leaders in different capacities and areas: at home, in school, at work, in ministry, in business, as a mentor and so much more. Whatever that capacity is, serving others should be your focus. This video will challenge most of the views you probably had about leadership. We will share 10 signs that show whether you are a true servant leader. I strongly encourage you to watch till the end. Why not pick up a pen and a notebook and take some notes. Honestly evaluate yourself say on a scale of 1 – 10 in each of these points to see how much you need to improve. Use these to become a better leader. If you call yourself a leader, then please SHARE this article with all the people you know. We need to spread this message. If you’re new here, why not SUBSCRIBE to our Newsletter to be notified of more life-changing content such as this. Let’s get started.
The Heart of Leadership is Service
Find below the 10 signs that characterize a servant leader:
1. You don’t rely on your position or title to lead
A true servant leader earns the respect of his or her followers through service. They don’t rely on their achievements or other perks to sway people. Do you constantly have to remind people about your position or title? Do you feel belittled when those titles aren’t recognized? Then chances are you aren’t really serving those under you. Go beyond your title. Earn the respect of your followers by daily delivering on what you promise and by serving them.
2. You believe in people and their potential.
The more you believe in the people you lead, the more they believe in themselves. They are motivated to do better; their potential increases. Do you really believe in your team?
3. You try to see things from the perspective of others.
You try to see things from the perspective of others. This is a big one! Leaders often expect so much from their members without knowing how it feels on the other side. How much do you connect with your team? Do you seek to understand them? Do you know how they feel or how they perceive your leadership? To better serve others, you need to know their minds and hearts. Connect with your team to know what they need.
4. You work on creating an environment of encouragement
How much team spirit and cooperation happens in your team? Do you serve others and encourage others to serve? You should have a “one for all and all for one” mindset. By encouraging others, you create a positive environment which fosters progress and loyalty. For more on developing team spirit and cooperation, I encourage you to check out our videos on the subject. You’ll find the links in the description.
5. You measure your success by how much value you’ve added to others.
As a true servant leader, your team’s success becomes your success. Do you always want to be at the front? To get recognition for every achievement? Do you feel bad or threatened when your team member is succeeding? Then deep down you aren’t really a servant leader. You should be thrilled at your team’s successes. Be happy when they progress. As you help people to succeed, they help you to succeed.
6. You listen without judgment.
Servant leaders are good active listeners. Active listening means being able to pay attention to someone without interrupting. Seeking to understand the person without making any premature judgments. Are you a good listener? For more on active listening, check out our video in the description.
7. You’re Authentic; true to yourself.
Do you portray a different image to your team than who you are? Do you hide your weaknesses? Do you often justify your errors? You should be truthful and open to your team. Admit your errors and receive correction when need be. We all have weaknesses. Leaders who are honest with their flaws connect better with their teams; they understand you better because… Hey! They have flaws too!
8. You build Community.
You build community. A community is a social unit or group of people with commonalities such as norms, values, laws, customs or identity. A servant leader goes beyond the team to build a community. Do your people have shared values, norms, mission or vision? Think about it!
9. You Share Power.
A servant leader focuses on giving power away rather than withholding it. Do you empower your members? Do you delegate tasks and responsibilities? Or do you do everything alone? Are you running a one-man show? It is often said that if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go with people. Empower your people!
10. You focus on developing people.
You focus on developing people. How much value have you added to your team? One sure way to earn someone’s respect is to add value to their life. As Helen Keler said: “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much”. You really can’t achieve much alone. Do you measure your success by the success of your people? If so then focus on helping them to succeed.
Conclusion
That’s it for our bonus for you… What do you think? Are you really a servant leader? Is there any point or sign you think we’ve left out? Please do let us know in the comments. We strongly encourage you to evaluate yourself and help others by sharing this article with them too. Please SUBSCRIBE so that we can keep making more. Thank you very much for reading and until next time, BESTech remains Your Best Bet!