When I first came across the term servant-leader Mother Teresa immediately came to mind.
This diminutive person with a huge heart left home at 18 to pursue her calling, gave up all her worldly possessions except for the necessities of life to live and work among the poorest of the poor in a remote and faraway country.
A servant-leader has a desire to serve others so that they can develop themselves and in so doing perform to meet organisational needs. In turn, those followers develop into servants themselves to help others in the organisation.
Using this criterion, Mother Teresa is almost a perfect model of a servant-leader.
From her very humble beginnings and her dedication to the poor, she founded Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India.
For 45 years she looked after the poor, sick, orphaned and dying. She was a selfless servant leader who dedicated her whole life and being to making others lives better and for this, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
In 1980, she received India’s highest civilian honour for her humanitarian work.
Thousands of people have been inspired by her life and have followed in her footsteps devoting their life to the helping those in need.
Today, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity has 610 missions in 123 countries; with more than 5000 Sisters of Charity and thousands of volunteers continuing her work around the world. The Missionaries of Charity continues to grow and attract new followers.
Servant-leadership begins with a vision. Servant-leaders see the big picture. They identify complex problems early and are able to implement workable solutions in a timely fashion by planning ahead.
Successful servant-leaders are very focused on the change they want to make. They are attentive to what it would take to change direction, chart a different course, and navigate unexplored waters.
They possess the determination to meet demanding challenges throughout their careers. These leaders surround themselves with first-rate people who they motivate to achieve greatness.
Because servant-leaders often have extremely ambitious plans, they are good at delegating. Simply put, servant-leaders do not build dams and bridge, they get them built.
Each leadership style has unique attributes.
For a servant-leader, these elements include the capability to transform an organisation.
This entails inspiring all the stakeholders, enabling employees and motivating in an organisation to want to excel in their work.
Servant-leaders are fundamentally different from other persons of good will because they act on what they believe. Servant-leadership is a blend and balance between leader and servant.
A servant-leader is one who values diverse opinions, values everyone’s contribution and habitually seeks out opinions.
This is the kind of a leader who nurtures other leaders. The replication factor is very important for the sustainability of the dream.
That means the leader is not always leading, instead they hand over power and deputise others to lead. They are also able to see diamonds in the rough. They can decipher the attributes of a person destined for greatness but submerged in some circumstance of the present that does not allow them to unleash their potential.
Servant-leaders help those under them with life issues. It is important to offer opportunities for personal development beyond the job.
A good leader should be concerned about the well-being of those they work with.
This means taking interest in issues as far reaching as the effectiveness of the Sacco in enabling workers develop, to the state of the workers personal relationships. None of these may help an immediate corporate need, but it helps the people within.
As I wind up, it is important to note that a servant-leader is always thinking about the next generation, the next leader, the next great opportunity that can add value.
Lastly, a servant-leader does not wear a title as a way to show who is in charge.
They realise that they work within a team which they happen to lead.
Setting an example of service, the servant-leader understands that it is not about the leader, but about others.
