The key aspect of Servant Leadership that sets it apart from other popular leadership models is the concept of committing to serving others’ needs before serving your own personal needs. It is a sign of maturity and conviction not found in all people in leadership roles. I’m sure you can think of several ‘leaders’ that you’ve worked with or worked for that were more concerned with their own personal image, results and ascension up the corporate ladder than with creating lasting results and growing other leaders. The classic narcissistic leader is the complete opposite of the true servant leader. The narcissistic leaders love themselves more than others and believe others are only there to serve their personal needs. Servant leaders take the opposite approach of putting others’ needs first and treat all others with love and respect. Not the romantic type of love, rather the type of love where one is genuinely concerned with the well-being of others and putting others’ needs first. Take some time to reflect on what type of leader you have been and identify where you’ve been effective at acting as a servant leader and what behaviors you can change to be a more effective servant leader going forward. You will find your life and the lives of those you lead to be more productive and more enriched as well. Servant leadership is the most effective long-term approach to leading others.
Great Leaders Commit to Serving Others Before Themselves
