To Serve or to Lead?

Posted on July 11, 2007

The CEO leads and their underlings serve them. Or at least, that’s the traditional business paradigm. Back in 1982, Robert Greenleaf wrote a book that turned this structure on its head.

Too often, business owners, or managers, think that ownership or a title means that their underlings are supposed to serve them—to do what they say, when they say it. Many employees believe this, too—that they must do what their boss says, or at least appear to. And so, bosses tell their people what to do, and the people do just enough to satisfy the boss. It works, but not well. Soon, work feels like a job, and the boss is frustrated that he or she has to tell employees everything. The boss does too much himself, and accepts a pace of work and contribution to the business that is much less than it could be.

Learn to serve your team

Back in1982, Robert Greenleaf wrote the book “Servant as Leader,” and introduced the world to the notion that a real leader sets the goal—the vision—and then serves the team that is pursuing that vision. He writes that the real leader helps, guides, supports and directs his or her team toward the desired goal.

In a small business, having interested, growing, excited employees is critical. After all, if there is only you and two or three others, you really need them to pull the business forward with you. While you can monitor your people more easily when you’re small, you are probably too busy to do so regularly.

In a mid-size business where the head count grows to 50 or 100 and beyond, the founder cannot really see all the waste and lost time—especially if the firm is growing quickly. The only effective tool is to set the goals for the business, then encourage everyone on the team to buy into the goal, and support, and encourage them to do so.

I’ve seen it work myself, and it is amazing. Of course, people must be held accountable. Sometimes people just don’t work out, and must be fired. But creating an empowered culture through “servant leadership” can mean that dozens of people—or hundreds of employees—will go way beyond the call of duty, as if they all owned the company.

Leadership is learning

When I was a young manager in the late 1970’s, I did and said the wrong thing one morning and my entire crew (of three people) walked off the job. Ever since, I’ve been studying leadership, trying to improve my effectiveness. I’ve come a long ways since then, and still have much to learn.

My favorite author on leadership is Warren Bennis, who offered the concepts first presented by Robert Greenleaf but in a much easier-to-read and understand style. A few months ago, one of my managers recommended “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence,” by Daniel Goleman, which is fantastic, and follows the same philosophy of leadership thinking. For anyone looking to improve their leadership skills, I highly recommend these two authors.

Having an empowered, energetic team is the ultimate freedom. They serve the company by working to achieve its goals, leaving you free to do those things only you can do, or that you want to do. Maybe it’s preparing for next year’s vision and goals, or maybe it’s that vacation to your land of paradise.

Takeaways:

• The most important job of the leader is to help everyone succeed.
• Employees that feel subjugated won’t get you where you need to go.
• Lay out your vision for your company, then build your team’s attitude and skill set so they can deliver that vision.