Servant Leadership
Rod Serling, in his introduction to the iconic television series, The Twilight Zone, famously started each episode with the catchphrase,
“You are entering another dimension.”
Nothing could be truer to this concept than the servant leadership model!
In his bestseller, The Art of Servant Leadership, Art Barter masterfully describes the almost-rags-to-riches story of his company, Datron World Communications. An essentially mom-and-pop backwater of a company that was unquestioningly run from the top down before he bought it, Art turned the way that business had been run on its head, jettisoning the Power Model and, instead, investing fully in the Servant Leadership Model.
The results are plain:
in less than fifteen years...
Barter grew sales from $10 million back then to over $200 million today.
The thinking businessperson, upon reading what I just wrote, must ask themselves,
“Okay, so what exactly is a Servant Leadership model?”
Well, in a nutshell, it’s an approach to running a business that relies almost exclusively on an owner/employee committed, engaged growth mindset. Instead of the head honcho at the top barking orders and the lackeys at the bottom mindlessly following them, the Servant Leadership model places inestimable value on each employee’s desire and ability to become educated, to comprehend, to apply what has been learned, and to reflect ongoingly as to how best to continue.
Ultimately, it’s about OWNERSHIP. In this model, each person sees him- or herself as a vital component of a healthy, productive and profitable business, and is willing to put aside ego and connect with others to work toward a common goal.
Gone are the days when workers blindly take orders from above. By adopting this empowering, intuitive, education-based approach, every business owner can look forward to taking productivity and profitability to new and previously unavailable heights. It just comes down to asking yourself and those with whom you work one simple question: “How can I be of help?” Once the floor is open to genuine and meaningful input, the pieces start rapidly falling into place.