Empowering Through Servant Leadership

I have a confession to make – I don’t read very many books or journals focused on leadership. My reading tends to be more focused on fiction, and my leadership is more often guided by gut instinct. But I did recently share an article on LinkedIn that I thought summed up much of what my gut usually tells me to do as a leader. Many of my connections on the platform were inspired by the article, and it spurred an invitation to write this column for VSAE about servant leadership.

Being a servant leader requires a combination of humility and confidence. Asking for help, especially from the very people we are charged to lead, can make us feel vulnerable. It takes courage and strength to do it, and especially to do it authentically. The perspective you gain from truly listening to and empowering your team members, though, is incredibly valuable. It builds trust and mutual respect that I believe brings out the best in people and enables high performing teams.

I came to the association world through a background in health system administration. My first job in health care was as a nursing station clerk on various inpatient hospital units. From these busy hubs, I gained great insight into the operations and culture of each of the units where I worked, all while in an entry level position. Years later in my first leadership role out of graduate school, I spent weeks rotating through the clinics I was responsible for - not to meet with the site managers, but to sit at their front desks. I pulled up a chair, listened, and watched. I answered the phones and offered to jump in when the staff seemed over-extended. At first, it made them nervous wondering why the new boss was hovering, but as they saw me step in and not act “above it,” I gained more trust than I ever could have by taking a more top-down approach. When I started to ask questions, they were comfortable giving me honest answers because I had worked to gain their confidence.

By continuing to ask questions as my career has progressed, I have learned infinitely more from the people I have been privileged to lead than from any book or scholarly article. When they make a mistake, I ask how I can help and be a part of the solution. When they join my team (and regularly thereafter) I ask them what they want their next role to be – either inside or outside the organization. This helps me understand how to lead them and expose them to opportunities that will set them achieve their goals. Even if they end up leaving, that investment in their growth makes for a much more rewarding experience for both of us during the time that we are on the same team.

We all know that serving members is at the core of association leadership. Applying this same spirit to internal teams only increases member value, since it inspires people to bring their best selves to work every day. It takes courage to allow members to watch your team shine, while you are sometimes behind the scenes silently supporting them. This also requires a shift in typical power dynamics. The article I shared on LinkedIn added a new layer to this leadership approach that I had not explicitly considered before. It suggested that servant leaders have the insight to “benefit from the expertise of others who have less power than them.” I think this only highlights how vulnerable servant leaders need to be, and why it takes courage to lead this way.

If you are interested in discussing the original Harvard Business Review article that inspired this column, I’d love to share it with you. Connect with me on LinkedIn, and we’ll chat!

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