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Nobody Wants Their Leader to be a Servant
Being service-centric is different than being a servant.
I’ve never heard a soldier or an employee say that they wanted their leader to be their servant. Instead, they tend to have five core desires:
- Clarity: “Help me understand what matters.”
- Trust: “Believe in me and don’t micromanage.”
- Competence: “Know what you are doing … don’t waste my time, talent, and energy.”
- Care: “See me as a human being, not as a human resource.”
- Growth: “Challenge me to become better.”
They don’t want you to do their jobs for them, coddle them, protect them from discomfort, solve their problems, or be subservient to them.
And yet, that is precisely the behavior that “servant leadership” promotes, leading to co-dependency, resentment, and burnout.
The problem comes from taking the wrong path from the verb “serve.” The term “to serve” has developed two distinct meanings: subordination (as a servant) or contribution (service). What people really want from their leaders is the latter.
What People Really Want (and Need)
Look at the five core desires. Each one puts the leader in a position of contribution rather than servitude. You contribute by:
- Being clear about what matters most.
- Letting me do my job.
- Being a competent manager.
- Respecting me as a person.
- Challenging me to learn and grow.
What your employees really want is service-centric leadership, leadership that serves the common good, that encourages them to new heights, and sets an example. You can’t do that from a position of subservience, but you can do it from a position of contribution.
Of course, it’s hard to contribute when you are flat on your back from exhaustion. Following the oxygen mask principle is vital to durable service: you must take care of yourself so you can contribute sustainably.
As is so often the case, a subtle shift makes all the difference. Give yourself permission to stop being a servant. Be service-centric, instead.
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