–Marcel Schwantes
There are many skills and abilities that make great leaders; last week we shared some common “wants” of a leader and a few of those were that leaders must be authentic, good listeners, manage conflict, build relationships, and provide healthy feedback.
Obviously the list could be endless, but other desired traits that direct reports want from their boss is that they can be trusted, hold confidences, motivate and inspire, have high levels of integrity, and always keep their “cool”.
Marcel Schwantes, speaker and leadership coach, shares more. He believes that it’s really about being a servant leader, where a leader’s character and integrity are clearly linked with their actions and behaviors.
We’ve previously written about servant leadership, and the underlying theme is to want to help others.
Excerpts of Coach Schwantes’ perspective of the three most prevalent leadership behaviors of a servant leader are:
1. They display selflessness
2. They create opportunities for people to feel a sense of purpose
3. They serve their employees
Do you consider yourself to be a servant leader? Are your actions and behaviors clearly linked with helping others grow?
Sincerely,
Obviously the list could be endless, but other desired traits that direct reports want from their boss is that they can be trusted, hold confidences, motivate and inspire, have high levels of integrity, and always keep their “cool”.
Marcel Schwantes, speaker and leadership coach, shares more. He believes that it’s really about being a servant leader, where a leader’s character and integrity are clearly linked with their actions and behaviors.
We’ve previously written about servant leadership, and the underlying theme is to want to help others.
Excerpts of Coach Schwantes’ perspective of the three most prevalent leadership behaviors of a servant leader are:
1. They display selflessness
- leadership is about meeting the needs of people
- they go against the age-old protocol of putting profits ahead of people
- they put their followers’ interests ahead of their own
- this leads to an unprecedented competitive advantage
- they give their time, energy, wisdom, and knowledge to others
- they help others grow (which makes the leader better)
2. They create opportunities for people to feel a sense of purpose
- they help others find purpose in their work
- purpose improves levels of happiness and boosts productivity
- they encourage employees to connect with those they are serving
- having employees meet the people they are helping is the greatest motivator
- there is a competitive edge when leaders give their people access to customers
3. They serve their employees
- leadership is about service and making those around you better
- they regularly assess what they are doing to improve the life of an employee
Do you consider yourself to be a servant leader? Are your actions and behaviors clearly linked with helping others grow?
Sincerely,
Mike and Jan
Servant leadership puts the needs, growth, and wellbeing of followers first and is in direct contrast to styles like autocratic leadership, transactional leadership, and bureaucratic leadership. -–Robert K. Greenleaf