Part 2: Servant Leadership: The Foundation of Success

Servant leadership is a philosophy that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and creates a more just and caring world. The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve first. “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak.”

The servant-leader shares power and puts the needs of others first, helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.  

A servant-leader manager focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of their staff and the company. They take stewardship of their employees’ success.  

As Jim Rohn said, “A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly (“the middle 40%”) to do well and to help those who are doing well (“the top 30%) to do even better.” It is also worth mentioning his philosophy about helping those that deserve it, not those that need it (“the bottom 30%). 

This philosophy aligns perfectly with servant leadership. It’s about empowering your team, providing support, and fostering a culture of growth.

Rohn also said, “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” This applies to servant leaders as well. Continuously developing your own skills and knowledge allows you to better serve and guide your team.  

Coming up in Part 3: The 4 Disciplines of Execution