Leadership – What is your Style?

“LEADER” – What a word it is? Be it a class leader in a remote school or the all-powerful Barak Obama the President of the United States; both carry the same title “Leader”.

A title everyone strives for; a title every organization longs to position itself and a title to which people look up in hope; there is so much in this word. No wonder Organizations invest a lot in making their employees A Leader & no wonder lot of research & study still goes on at the world’s best academia on this topic till date.

The irony is everyone wants to be a leader without actually realizing the price one has to pay for it. Yes! Leadership is not cheap; it’s expensive; It demands one’s time, efforts and sometimes to let one’s self-go. Definitely the last words of Peter parker’s (the spider man) uncle that “With great power comes great responsibility” have a lot of significance.

History is the best litmus test to establish the above statement. A leader who is fully aware of the great power & responsibility the title carries & the potential in it can make a huge difference to the world. Be it Mahatma Gandhi in liberating India or Abraham Lincoln in abolishing slavery; both drove positive change in the world for a greater good and noble cause.

Same time, leadership in wrong hands could be catastrophic. Be it Adolph Hitler who massacred over 6 million Jews or Kim Jong-un under whose clutches the humanity of North Korea still groans in agony are strong testimonials.

Though the world speaks about different leadership styles like Autocratic, Democratic, collaborative etc., it often misses the most important style one must possess to make any of the above mentioned leadership styles effective; and that is the “The Servant Leadership”.

At the heart of this leadership style is the “Attitude of Servitude”. It is this attitude that compelled one of the greatest human beings – Mother Theresa, to serve the poor, needy & lepers of Kolkata Streets. The same was demonstrated by The Lord Jesus Christ when He washed the feet of His disciples before His Crucifixion who is followed by millions in the world today.

Needless to mention the recent quote of Mr. Narendra Modi calling himself a “Pradhan Sevak” & not “Pradhan Mantri” very well establishes the significance of the Attitude of Servitude & The Servant Leadership.

As Leaders/ Managers we are always at the risk of missing the above thought & continue in our own style. The very position of being a leader or the stress to achieve results could always tempt us to push our points down without being sensitive to others. Though it may fetch quick results but are short lived.

So what exactly is this Servant Leadership and how is it different from the existing leadership styles?

Well Servant Leadership is not a separate leadership style by itself but a must ingredient in any other leadership style. It challenges the fundamental mind-set that the team exists to support the leader J; rather its focus is “How can the leader support the team in achieving its goals”. Forget not that the team’s goals are defined by the leader :).

The Servant Leadership always empathizes with the team. It doesn’t differentiate things as team’s and the leader’s; The leader cries with the moaning team & jumps with the joyful team. Remember Joy gets multiplied & Sorrow gets divided on sharing 😀 .

The servant leadership always challenges the team but never corners/ pushes; There is a subtle difference between the both; Challenging a team gets the best of the Team while cornering has the side effects of feeling low of one’s potential or capability and finally may feel detached.

Referring to the quote by Jesus from the Bible, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Clearly paraphrases what a servant leadership is all about.

Let us reflect & introspect at our own leadership styles & see if we have this attitude of Servitude in our dealings. As already mentioned; inculcating this attitude is not easy; if you don’t agree; try it out at your work place & you will agree J This attitude calls for love, empathy, grace, humility, patience, endurance and above all to let one’s self die.

But the result this leadership style brings & the impact it makes among the colleagues, to the organization & to one’s self is beyond Comprehension and long lasting.

Let us challenge ourselves to make this our style from today; The Servant Leadership with an attitude of Servitude and one caution: This style is contagious may result in a more cheerful & passionate team & may also bring down your attrition 🙂