Whom do we serve? Perhaps this is the most important question we can ask when thinking about servant leadership in the critical care setting. Any thoughts on how you fit into the concept of servant leadership? A leader-first leader will be more likely to focus on being direct and achieving personal and professional goals. This deceptively simple but powerful approach to leadership can lead both to excellent results for our organizations and to profound meaning in the lives of those it touches. 7 Leadership Styles in Nursing. But what does it actually look like? Its not necessary to have a highly influential role in your company to start practicing the servant leadership style. (Both can be found here: leadership styles.). Servant leadership is a transformational leadership style, but it takes some practice. Establishing a charity arm of the organization also helps the team understand the importance of their social responsibility. This makes servant leaders hard to find since most leaders like a sense of power and control. Theyre also effective, charismatic decision-makers and clear when they set expectations. As romantic as this may sound, Greenleaf saw parallels to the corporate world. The same goes for any team. Drive employee impact: New tools to empower resilient leadership, 2 new features to help your team gain clarity and context in the new year. He told the team he was going to stopcoming to the rescue and asked them to take more ownership for putting out fires. Servant leadership permits us to demonstrate leadership without requiring the spotlight. Steffen had confidence in the abilities of his Head of Ops to take full ownership of the process so he said something to the effect of You handle it.". Still, I am happy to see that so many of the things I do fit well into servant leadership. Nelson Mandela When making a speech to his people, Mandela said that he was a humble servant with a desire for his people to experience equality. Decisions take longer to be made. Only a leader who is open to feedback and encourages it will be able to stay self-aware (another one of the 10 characteristics of servant leaders). This fosters a deeper connection to the companys mission. This characteristic isnt as magical as it may sound but rather a skill thats developed over time through experience and intuition. LeaderBridge 2022-2023. In clinical practice perhaps the why is obvious and straightforward. We come to work each day to be part of a team that provides the highest possible level of care to each and every patient we encounter. Still, the development of leadership skills is an ongoing journey that begins with knowing and understanding oneself. how to create a leadership development plan, democratic leadership transformation course, servant leadership compared to transformational leadership, servant leadership vs. transformational leadership, Six leadership styles based on Emotional Intelligence, https://jonathansandling.com/ten-principles-servant-leadership/, https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/, https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/7-secrets-of-servant-leadership-that-will-lead-you-to-success.html, https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/heres-a-top-10-list-of-the-worlds-best-ceos-but-they-lead-in-a-totally-unique-wa.html, https://www.pointloma.edu/resources/business-leadership/7-values-servant-leadership, https://www.ottawa.edu/online-and-evening/blog/march-2021/5-proven-characteristics-of-a-servant-leader, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51473514e4b0090a1cad74f9/t/5194e399e4b0b0879dc2e8ef/1368712089353/Greenleaf+essay+part+one.pdf, https://www.cleverism.com/servant-leadership-guide/, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.htm, https://leaderonomics.com/leadership/lead-like-famous-servant-leaders. These are strong elements also present in democratic leadership style and transformational leadership style which you can find in our portal for leadership styles. You can also take psychometric tests to gain new perspectives on your personality and reflect on how others see you. The charismatic leadership style can be extremely influential. But its important that they are also strongly aware of their own limitations. Creating this sense of community will benefit the individuals and the organization. It's difficult to find business owners willing to act selflessly in their pursuit of success, which is one of the servant leadership disadvantages. A servant leader will always walk alongside their team members and lead by example. Example: In a virtual team, you can still build a strong community by regularly checking in with your teammates. Get more information on our nonprofit discount program, and apply. Another disadvantage to servant leadership is that it takes time to put in place. Instead, your actions and words should be a credible and genuine model to follow. Keep track of your personal goals and plans. The knowledge of whats going on in their teams personal lives helps servant leaders lead with empathy. Best practices, research, and tools to fuel individual and business growth. This is true even while prioritizing team engagement. You cant be everywhere at one time.. After Leo disappears, the group falls apart and the journey is abandoned. Decisions are based on the benefit of all. With respect to servant leadership, Greenleaf wrote: The servant-leader is servant first. I ask a lot of questions to fully understand the person in front of me as well as the topic being discussed. However, when you take a closer look at each model, you will find that each leadership style has its unique merit in a leaders toolkit. One of the key differences between standard autocratic leadership and servant leadership is that the latter is a bottom-up approach, whereas the former is more top-down. As one moves up higher into leadership, then there are more people to serve. This skill might be seen as a slightly different leadership style from servant leadership. After all, most organizations need some elements of pacesetting leadership as well. Keep an open mind to foster creativity and courage in the workplace. I believe its important to make your own leadership journey more personal and call upon different styles of leading depending on the situation at hand., Your email address will not be published. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(9253440, '18bbac98-d8f0-4f4f-a151-74e23b6c5002', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Servant leadership is about empowering your team and helping create a positive work environment. Over the decades, Lewin's original leadership styles have evolved into many styles of leadership in health care, such as passive-avoidant, transactional, transformational, servant, resonant, and authentic (Northhouse, 2004; Specchia et al., 2021). Rather than managing for results, a servant leader focuses on creating an environment in which their team can thrive and get their highest-impact work done. As a burgeoning research area, servant leadership links leadership to ethics, virtues, and morality ( Lanctot & Irving, 2010; Parris & Peachey, 2013 ). (I have collected a lot of my communication tips in this article: 17 tips on how to improve communication.). Servant leaders focus on satisfying the highest-priority needs of others. If a client situation blew up, hed step in and take the heat. You can then create learning opportunities and milestones to support your team reaching these goals. She inspired others to contribute their lives to charity. You can show them the impact both inside the company and out. Servant leaders who behave in an unethical way may cause issues within their team, such as decreased motivation and growth. There are several approaches to leadership that are applicable in nursing practice. to bottom, He wasnt just a servanthe was the guiding spirit, their great leader. Meet the leadership that's passionate about empowering your workforce. Servant leaders do relinquish some authority but that doesnt mean that youre weak. Disadvantages of Servant Leadership 1. A servant leader needs to have very little or a complete lack of ego this is an unusual trait among leaders. Example: Ask about your teams personal lives and share stories of your own to create a genuine relationship. It's noticeable that, while there are many examples of servant leadership in business, only a few actually name their approach as 'servant leadership'. Working on communication skills such as conciseness, body language, and clarity will help you achieve this. Example: Always assume that your team members are doing their work with the best intentions. Here are three pitfalls to watch out for: Steffen Heilmann is a firm believer in empowering and challenging his people. Connecting your team members with one another will create a level of trust and companionship that will not only help teammates grow on an individual level but also shine through in their performance. We're on a mission to help everyone live with clarity, purpose, and passion. When quick decisions are of great importance, consider commanding leadership instead. Adaptive leadership is a practical leadership framework that often involves questioning the basic assumption on which an organization operates. Servant leadership stresses the importance of aspirations for the organization rather than ambitions for a particular person: humility, collaboration, and a meaningful work experience lead to positive results. When leaders make decisions in this kind of environment, they do so by looking at the situation in the shoes of others. Servant leadership means setting strong examples of truly ethical leadership. Whereas it should go without saying, doing what is best for the patient is the primary focus for every member of the organization. He writes: The servant-leader strives to understand and empathize with others. This quality enables the servant leader to identify with and care for team members. Lets use the example of a lead intensivist or medical director of an ICU. For example, when assigning project duties to each team member, make sure you provide the resources or the ability to procure them. Employees feel valued and they know you're looking out for them . Whether thats through a virtual call or an in-person event, spending fun time together will strengthen your teams relationships. Thus, each leadership style will have its own benefits and drawbacks, as well as their appropriate uses in certain situations. The results dont happen overnight. Here are the pros and cons to consider when implementing an environment which includes servant leadership. Example: You can share success stories or ways in which a product or service has positively impacted customers to motivate your team and show them that their work is seen. Empathy is crucial in a leadership role. Would you like to learn about alternatives to Servant leadership? You take the time to help them work through the conflict and ultimately resolve it. It serves the customer. Usually, the goal is to improve employee efficiency and productivity. Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to ones care. In his book on stewardship, Peter Block urges his readers to act in service of the long run and in service to those with little power.. The third weakness I have identified is foresight. Whether you choose the servant, transformational, or laissez-faire leadership style as the right approach for yourself (or something entirely different) is ultimately up to you. The first time I read about servant leadership I was a bit surprised since it fits how I work relatively well. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(9253440, '8381199b-4f67-4ce4-b96c-c66eb44bfc0c', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); BetterUp Care Coach, MSc Clinical Psychology and Researcher, 3100 E 5th Street, Suite 350 Austin, TX 78702, English | Makes Employees Less Motivated Another. Serving the patients is the first priority, of course. This has not been close at hand in any of my roles and the organizations have often involved so many communities that it has been difficult to really work with this aspect of servant leadership. Youre compassionate. They want their team to be well mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Short-term goals are important, but with one eye on the horizon, you can continue to inspire your team members even on difficult days. As Sebastian said, Knowing when to make sacrifices for the company or ask for help, whether to empower my team or step in and take over, its a much more subtle balance than I expected.. Furthermore, those on the front lines tend to understand more than upper-level management. Its not about efficiency and using employees as a means to drive performance. UK English | Please tell us more in the comment section below. Whether its the personal or professional growth of their team members, servant leaders will do anything in their power to support them. Need someone to speak with about your servant leadership development journey? Practice your communication skills, develop empathy, work on your self-awareness, and be sure to focus on developing your employees more holistically. It takes time to translate a vision into clear objectives and priorities. This hinges on building influence and authority rather than using control and toxic leadership tactics. You think youre giving them autonomy; they think you dont care.