Episode 140 – The Truth About Servant Leadership
Welcome back Fearless, Feminine Leaders!
We just finished our annual Lead Like A Rockstar event (on February 22, 2025). It was an amazing day of growth and connection where we taught attendees the qualities needed to step into the shoes of a rockstar leader. Here’s just a few of the things attendees had to say about it…
“I loved the combination of self-reflection and practical application of content at Lead Like A Rockstar.” ~Joan D. – non-profit program director
“I came to this not knowing what to expect, I’m so happy I decided to attend! I’m taking away quite a few nuggets that will help in my business and with my team.” ~Doreen – women’s boutique owner.
“I think anyone could take this training and get value from it. I was worried it was going to be “you go girl” vibes and was relieved at how practical and helpful it was. I think I could attend this every month and take something more/different out of it.” ~Jade, owner of a marketing firm.
(By the way: This event can be brought to your team as a half-day or full-day team building and leadership retreat! Check out the show notes for the booking request form link under the Learn how to work with us line.)
One of the things we do with this event is this: we give attendees a chance to have a say in what the content is for the day by sending in a question ahead of time. That way we can make sure to address something that might not be in the original lineup of training for the day. One question that came in was about servant leadership, and we knew we HAD to make this a podcast episode! Here’s what one business owner asked us:
"What is your best advice on building a team of servant leaders?"
We were stoked to see this question, because we have an interesting relationship with the “servant leadership” concept. So let's talk about it...
First, let’s talk about what the term, “servant leader” means and where it came from:
Google says: A "servant leader" is a leadership style where the leader prioritizes the needs and growth of their followers above their own, essentially acting as a servant to their team, with the concept being popularized by Robert K. Greenleaf who coined the term in his 1970 essay "The Servant as Leader"; the idea is rooted in the notion that the leader's primary role is to serve and empower others to reach their full potential.
Key points about servant leadership:
• Originator: Robert K. Greenleaf
• Core principle: Leaders put the needs of their team members first, focusing on their development and well-being
• Inspiration: Greenleaf drew inspiration from the novel "Journey to the East" by Hermann Hesse, where a seemingly lowly servant character is revealed to be the true leader
It was interesting because in a room of 11 female leaders at our event, half of them had never heard this term. The other half had heard of it and most of the women that heard of it, had a bad experience with it from a religious-based setting (a Christian college, etc).
We’ve experienced this mostly in a Faith-based, ministry setting as well. And we’ve experienced things like manipulation and spiritual abuse of not being a good servant leader if you have healthy boundaries around work-life balance. The term “servant leader” can often become twisted and make you feel like you must sacrifice your family and sometimes even your income for the sake of the mission of serving others.
Obviously, the intention behind “servant leadership” is a good one, right?
However, leaders need to consider that some people may have been taken advantage of in the name of “servant leadership.” So here’s some tips that we have around growing a team of servant leaders:
1. First: Identify what you mean by being a servant leader.
a. Do you mean collaboration and teamwork above your individual focus/needs?
b. Do you mean community minded and you volunteer as a team or help fundraise for community organizations and local needs?
2. How do you want to model being a servant leader? A team building exercise asking your team this might be a good place to start.
3. What if you have someone on your team with health challenges? How can they meet the challenge of being a servant leader without burning out or sacrificing their health? Maybe we need to change the term “servant leader” to something else?
All of these things need to be considered when you want to build a team of servant leaders. Because the truth is: some leaders have twisted the good intentions of this phrase and have used and abused people for their own gain. Don’t be a leader like that. Instead, be a leader who inspires teamwork, collaboration, connection, and community awareness.
