Servant leadership
Servant leadership is a philosophy that focuses on supporting others so they can achieve their full potential.
In a servant leadership style, the project leader:
- facilitates the team’s efforts
- serves alongside team members to complete work
- empowers team members and enables their success
- eliminates barriers for team members
Also see Empowering management.
A servant leader may, for example, ask the following questions:
- What problems do you have?
- What obstacles are preventing you from achieving your goals?
- How can I overcome those obstacles?
By phrasing the questions this way, the project leader helps the team members see themselves as autonomous and able to complete the work on their own.
Ten characteristics of servant leaders
- Listening
- Empathy
- Healing
- Awareness
- Persuasion
- Conceptualization
- Foresight
- Stewardship
- Commitment to the growth of people
- Building community