People Skills:

Effective Leadership

Leader as Servant

Focus on Legitimate Needs of You People

Vadim Kotelnikov personal logo Vadim Kotelnikov

Founder, Ten3 Business e-Coach – Inspiration and Innovation Unlimited!

"The first step to leadership is servanthood." ~ John Maxwell

"Soliciting the service of others is the same as serving them." ~ Proverb

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the leader is a servant." ~ Max DePree

 

The  Tao of Leading by Serving

The best warriors win without seeking to conquer. The best warriors
do not use violence. The best tacticians try to avoid confrontation.  The best leaders become servants of their people.

All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are.

Humility gives it its power.

If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them.

If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them.

– Lao Tzu

"The person who boasts about being a leader isn't one. The true leader doesn't boast about it. He has no ego investment in being a leader; he just is. He knows that his power comes not from authority but from his people, so he uses his position to assure that they have the resources and support they need to do their work. Thus people give him power, because they know he will use it to benefit everyone and not just himself. This is true power."2

Leader 360

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B. Empower, Inspire, and Energize People

  1. Empathize; be willing to discuss and solve problems; listen with understanding; support and help... More

12 Major Causes of Failure in Leadership

 

 

The Eight Attributes of Love and Leadership

By: James Hunter1

  1. Patient – show self-control.

  2. Kind – give attention, appreciation, and encouragement.

  3. Humble – be authentic without pretense and arrogance.

  4. Respectful – treat others as important people.

  5. Selfless – meet the needs of others.

  6. Forgiving – give up resentment when wronged.

  7. Honest – be free from deception.

  8. Committed – stick to your choices.

Creative Leadership DOs and DON'Ts

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Empathy

Why Servant Leadership?

To lead effectively, you must lead by example and serve. The principle behind effective leadership is based on the interplay of responsibility, respect, and care. The key to servant leadership is the commitment to doing your best in the service of other people, both inside and outside the organization.

Matsushita's 10 Corporate Management Lessons

The qualities of a servant leader are also the attributes of love, which is defined as one's behavior towards others. All these behaviors will entail you to serve and sacrifice for others. This would mean setting aside your own wants and needs to focus on the legitimate needs of others, advises James Humter.1

Leading yourself is the first step toward serving others.

Jesus About Leadership

Jesus said that in order to be a leader you had to first learn how to serve others. He said, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”

"I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know. The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve." ~ Albert Schweitzer

The Law of Harvest

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

You reap what you saw. For authority or influence to flourish, the right environment must be provided and nurturing behavior must be present. Bear in mind however that influence is not something that grows overnight, it grows in time.

Follow Your Employees

You cannot lead people unless they are willing to follow you. People will trust you if you help them achieve more, unleash their creativity and bring out their own sense of worth. So be willing to follow your employees periodically to win their trust and understand their needs and capabilities better. By doing so you'll learn what to do in order to inspire them to follow you and bring out their best.

Yin-Yang of Employee Empowerment

The Rewards of Leading with Authority

Leading with authority enables you to have a personal mission statement: to serve the people you lead, to serve their needs, to give praise and recognition, to show kindness, and to be honest, among other things. When servant leadership becomes your ethos in life, people would be lining un to join your cause.1

 

References:

  1. The Servant, by James C. Hunter

  2. Real Power: Business Lessons from Tao Te Ching, James A. Autry & Stephen Mitchell