Adapted from the Aspire Collaborative Services’ March 2009 Newsletter

I was captivated by the way a government official introduced herself at a recent event. “I’m Sue Smith and I work for all of you”. Whoa. I get it – we pay our taxes and the government serves us. Yet it caught me off-guard because we rarely hear this from those in leadership roles – in government, private sector or nonprofits.

What if leaders everywhere had the mindset of “I work for you”? How would our organizations be different? What impact might they make?

What if you embraced the attitude of “I work for you”?

There are organizations, large and small, whose leaders have adopted this concept and can demonstrate the positive results on the bottom line. The term that is often used to describe this concept is “Servant Leadership” and it embraces sharing power and serving others.

You may have been lucky enough to watch other leaders share their power in order to serve their employees and customers. If you observe their organizations, you may see these results:

- Employees are engaged and dedicated to the success of their peers and the organization;

- Learning and development become vital to success and part of the culture;

- A collective community of leadership develops, with new leaders emerging spontaneously;

- Employees cultivate a strong sense of purpose;

- Customers are outrageously and consistently delighted.

The greatest leaders embrace sharing of power. I’ve been honored to know a few, and have worked for even fewer (it’s unfortunate that I can recall less than a handful that I worked for over my career in business). I remember the feeling of trust that developed, and the sense of engagement I felt under the mentorship of these fine human beings. These are the leaders who left a lifetime impression on those who were privileged to work with them.

The leaders who believe in sharing power may work in a larger organizations that don’t fully embrace the principles of “I work for you”, and are often not rewarded for their skills. It’s often an uphill climb for them. This is as true today as it was 25 years ago, but I feel a shift happening and a greater understanding and increased support for these concepts.

There is a new recognition, led by companies like Southwest Airlines, TDIndustries, and many others, that serving and sharing power is not only the right thing to do, but also has a positive financial impact. In the case of Southwest, motivated employees have consistently made happy customers and satisfied shareholders, even as their competitors struggle for market share.

So how do you take the first steps to becoming a Servant Leader? Here are some ways to begin:

?€¢ Listen with your entire being, while you suspend your judgment. “Seek first to understand”, without trying to be helpful or attempting to solve problems.

?€¢ Ask how you can help. You’ll be surprised how often others you serve just need to be heard.

?€¢ Invite others to share in decisions. Many decisions can be improved through input from others.

?€¢ Nurture relationships intentionally and authentically. Show people you care and treat them with kindness. Be aware of those relationships that are in need of attention, and take action on them.

?€¢ Support learning through sharing power with those around you and especially those who report to you.Treat others as individuals when assisting them in customizing their learning goals.

?€¢ Build community by taking responsibility to connect and support the people involved in a shared vision.Don’t wait for someone else to do it.

Leaders who embrace the concepts of “I work for you” consider work to be part of the “whole” of a person’s experience, and a contributor to the collective good. When the collective good of an entire organization or community stands together, the possibilities become endless.

One Response to “"I Work For You"”