SERVANT LEADERSHIP IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
STEPHANIE JAEGER, PMP, BBA HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT, PMO AND PROJECT PROCESS SPECIALIST
Even when I started my career as a Nurse in a busy A&E Unit, I soon found myself in situations I had to show leadership. I was not aware of being a leader during those days, it was just something we did as nurses. Later as a Project Manager I found myself quickly in Senior Management Level developing project management processes and methodologies, while managing key project. I quickly realized that even project management is all about leadership skills. Then during a leadership training program from PMI®, the Leadership Institute Master Class (LIMC®), we were introduced to the concept of Servant Leadership, which is quickly gaining popularity worldwide. I realized that my instinctive leadership methods were actually very close to servant leadership.
In today’s project management world real leadership is what is needed. For that reason, PMI® developed the talent triangle, to ensure all project managers get training in all the 3 elements of the triangle:
1. Project Management Technical Knowledge – What you find in PMBOK Guide® 6th Edition
2. Leadership
3. Strategic & Business Management
Even the new PMP® Exam, will introduce questions covering all 3 sides of the Knowledge Triangle. Leadership, and specifically Servant Leadership will be part of the exam questions.
Leadership
“Leadership cannot really be taught, it can only be learned” Harold Geneen, former President & CEO of ITT Corp.
“A Leader’s job is not to do the work for others, but to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done and to succeed beyond what they thought possible.” Simon Sinek.
The essence of leadership is:
Influencing People / Guiding People
Helping others excel
Showing direction
Listening – really listening
Empathy
Inspiring others
Accountability / Honesty / Integrity
Delegation & Empowerment Creativity & Innovation
Good Communication
Commitment & Passion
Willingness to be vulnerable
Servant Leadership
Robert K. Greenleaf coined the name Servant Leadership in his essay “The
Servant as a Leader”, which was first published in 1970. He said
“A servant-leader is a servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first”
On the website of his organization it is defined thus: “Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.” https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
The “Boss” only engages the Head and directs / orders. The Servant Leader blends head, heart & hands:
Since Servant Leadership is all about developing your team, the most important elements of Servant Leadership are:
Commitment to developing people – Success is measured by how well the individuals in your team perform and grow. If you can get your team members to do things they never thought they could, you have succeeded. It is a Commitment to the Growth of People and Building the Community.
Empathy through trying to see a situation from the other person’s point of view; putting yourself in their shoes. This includes finding out gently why someone is not performing as usual. I remember a Nurse who was working with us was one day suddenly not performing well and seem stressed out and absent minded. When asked directly she said all is well and she has no problem. We asked one of her close friends to find out more. It turned out that her house had actually burned down the night before and she had lost almost everything. I don’t even know where she and her family had spent the night. We first gave her time to rest with a cup of tea and then talked to her. Usually when you are under stress like this one thing – often not really important – becomes the focal point, that stresses you out. In her case it was, not anything we would have expected, like where they will stay, or how she will cook for her children. It was that her Nursing Certificate had burned. We were able to guide her how she can get a replacement or a certified copy. This was enough to calm her down and she was able to perform. Everything else was sorted out slowly later. This little act of empathy and assistance brought her the healing she needed to be able to focus on the tasks ahead.
- Be aware of what is happening in the life of your team member
- Listening with the intent to understand, not respond – Prioritize the practice of presence;
- Authenticity through being yourself;
- Awareness of what is happening in the lives of your team members (including any conflicts and tensions between team members);
- Embrace more We, less Me;
- Share information and power;
- Savor the significance of small acts; that caring word of support or gratitude makes a difference
- Invest in the development of people;
- Give credit and accept responsibility;
- Listen first, talk last, especially when brainstorming;
- Be teachable – be approachable; be willing to be vulnerable;
James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner have been doing research on successful leadership practices for over 40 years. They have condensed this in their book “The Leadership Challenge” into the 5 practices of exemplary leadership, which were the top 5 practices the world over.
1. Model the way – clarify values and set the example
2. Inspire a shared vision – envision the future and enlist / inspire others
3. Challenge the process – search for opportunities, experiment and take risks
4. Enable others to act – foster collaboration and strengthen others
5. Encourage the heart – recognize contributions and celebrate the values and victories
How can we become Servant Leaders?
First you need to understand that there is no perfect servant leader. We are all on the journey learning as we go along. The best way to start is by picking one of the above elements of servant leadership and starting to practice it. Once you have done it daily and reflected on your success for about 1 month and it has become a habit, you can now add a second element.
Also keep reading up on servant leadership, to improve your knowledge. As you grow, you will find new depths to some of the elements.
Assess yourself and ask others for feedback. Reflect on situations as they have happened and see how you could have approached it better. Find role models and set yourself benchmarks.
I wish all of us a successfully journey into servant leadership!
Stephanie Jaeger is the Principal Project Manager Redtie Consultants LLC with over 7 years’ experience setting up project management processes and templates in companies. She has also managed projects and worked in Senior Management for over 15 years. She specializes in aligning project management processes to the corporate strategy and mentoring the team during implementation. Her experience is in the IT and Healthcare Sector both in private enterprises and NGO sector.
Stephanie is an experienced volunteer for Project Management Institute (PMI) having served on the PMI Kenya Chapter Board, the Region 16 and in multiple other roles. She is a Registered Nurse, has a BBA Healthcare Management, is PMP certified and a certified SDI Facilitator. She is also a graduate of the PMI Leadership Institute Master Class (LIMC). She is a regular content provider on www.projectmanagement.com.
Stephanie is a German Citizen with 26 years multicultural and multilingual experience in East Africa.