A man who won't die for something is not fit to live. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why would a leader want to be a servant? You work hard to be on the top. Why should you even care about these employees? Isnt Servant Leadership just another management fad? Lets explore this matter closely on servant leadership. Outstanding leaders are concerned about their followers needs. Many employees observe the actions of their managers. Are they selfish? Do they possess an unselfish vision? Here are things to consider if you want to gain employee loyalty:

Place your employees needs before your own.
Provide a vision that employees can embrace.
Conduct your day-to-day operations in an ethical manner.
Model the habits that you want your employees to follow.
Communicate regularly to your employees.
Walk employees spaces so that they know you exist.
Reward your employees on achieving organizational goals before you reward yourself.

Employees want to follow a leader they respect. Hackman and Johnson, leadership experts, argue that followers are more inspired to be productive when they believe that a successful task completion will generate a valuable goal. Much of the concept of Servant Leadership is derived from a religious context. Winston, a leadership guru, notes the paradox of Jesus teaching is that whoever is to be first, must be last. Jesus philosophy is contrary to the worlds conventional wisdom. I think this would explain how some individuals are living a very confused lifestyle. They become takers. True leadership is about giving, however. Do you have the courage to serve? Start today and change your organization for the better.

References:

Johnson, C. & Hackman, M. (2000). Leadership: A Communication Perspective. Waveland Press.

Winston, B. (2002). Be A Leader for God's Sake. Virginia Beach, VA: Regent University.

(c) 2006 by Daryl D. Green