As a manager, your team is dependent on you for success. Although this can be pressuring, putting your team first is a critical component of being a leader. Servant leadership is about making team development your #1 priority. So, you have to be there to support and guide your team, and have a tangible presence as a manager.
Therefore, here are some easy ways to become more of a servant leader:
1. Be an active listener.
Ensure there’s a platform for your team to provide feedback, and make it actionable.
2. Demonstrate empathy.
Gauge how your team is feeling not just at the workplace, but in their lives as a whole.
3. Work on your self-awareness.
What are your strengths and weaknesses? By understanding these, you will know how to serve your team better.
4. Don’t micromanage
Be a present and supportive leader, but don’t micromanage. Still allow your team the space to do their work — this shows that you trust them.
Pro-tip
“Self-awareness is an innate quality, but it can be gained through time and through coaching. The best managers have it, and the worst do not. Seventy percent of the workforce is disengaged to varying degrees, and that’s an indictment on management.”
– Victor Lipman, Leadership Expert, Author of The Type B Manager
Source: Our new e-book Your First 50 Days, available for download!
