A lot of people normally think that being a leader is all about authority and exercising power in order to force people to do what they want. Well, there are more things to leadership than that. True leadership is not about just titles, position, or power, but about impact, service, and your ability to motivate others to achieve their true potential. This is why, being a servant leader becomes necessary. That is; a leader who places the priority and needs of others even above their own needs. The truth is that the success of your team lies in your own success. If you are a leader and you are the only one successful in your team, then you are not a true leader.
As a leader, your priority should not be to be served by others but to help raise them up and make them to succeed. As a matter of fact, there is a joy that comes to the mind, as a leader, when you look and see your team doing well. And if they are not doing well, then you probably are the cause. What I have noticed is that when you place your team members first and work towards their own good, they will also do the same to you because you would have built trust and collaboration in them. But if you just assume the position and dish out orders with authority, then you are simply being a ruler and not a leader, talk more of a servant leader.
I remember some years back, one of the governors of a state in the country dubbed himself as "Chieft Servant." He understood that being a leader is a call for service and not just to fill up a position of power. It was not surprising that his leadership was so welcoming and a lot of development came to the state. In fact, people did not have difficulty following him. He tried to carry everyone along and people loved his style of leadership. When you understand that leadership is a call to serve, then you will not do it in a "do or die" manner. One of the reasons why some people do all manner of things to ascend into a leadership position is because they do not see it as a call for service but to be served.
In order to lead well and be a servant leader, there are some qualities that you need to have. Firstly, your empathy and humanity must be in place. If you have empathy and a heart for humanity, you will not use people to get to a leadership position just to be served, rather you will use the leadership position to serve people. You have to know that even power is not permanent but transient. So in whatever position you find yourself, you have to use it to service the need of humanity. Remember that without the people, you will not become a leader - after all, it is people that you will lead, not empty vacuum. So lead well.
You also need to be humble to realise that you do not know everything and that there are more things to be learnt. Adorably, you can still learn from even your followers, so do not see yourself as being superior, nor see your followers as being inferior to you. You have to understand that you are part of the team and that everyone also matters. Try to welcome the ideas and suggestions from your teammates even if they are way junior than you, or even if you do not want to agree to them. It will give them a sense of belonging to know that you have given them listening ears, and it will make them to be loyal to you. Remember that loyalty is not enforced, it is earned.
In addition to humility and humanity, as a leader who wants the interest of others, you need to build a strong community and empower others to grow as well. If everything that is done is done in your presence and nothing can move if you are absent, then you are not leading well. You need to teach others how to do it themselves, which will help them to grow and develop themselves. Becoming a true leader is not about looking for power but it is about looking for ways to serve the interest of others.
Thanks for reading
