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The idea of servant leadership revolves around a straightforward setup. This means a worker is going to start as a professional to help serve the business. Once they get promoted, they will be serving more people as they are now going to be leading.
This is not the same as a traditional setup where a leader is going to have more people serving them as they go up the ranks.
Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of servant leadership.
Advantages of Servant Leadership
- Focuses On Helping Everyone
The premise behind this setup is to make sure everyone is taken into account according to private equity executive Kurt Uhlir. According to Kurt, this is not just about deciding based on what the leadership group wants but rather what is going to help the business as a whole. This ensures everyone is taken into account while growing the company. If you want to know more, Kurt is an expert on high achieving servant leadership and wrote The Definitive Guide to Servant Leadership and is a frequent keynote speaker on the topic and can be heard on the following podcasts and media:
- Billion Dollar Business And Billion Dollar Friends.
- Relentless Ambition: 13 – How to Build a Successful Business through Servant Leadership with Kurt Uhlir on Apple Podcasts
- Why High-Achieving Servant Leadership Is The Way To Lead An Organization With Kurt Uhlir
- Being Great! | Kurt Uhlir on Apple Podcasts
- Teaches Empathy
Leaders in this environment are going to be paying attention to others. They are going to realize the importance of helping others in the process so everyone benefits from the setup. It is common for leaders to refuse requests if it does not help others.
- Promotes Growth
This is an environment where people are going to grow together as everyone benefits. This is ideal for diversity and allows people to see through different perspectives.
- Helps The Customer
The customer also benefits from this type of organization. They get to reap the rewards of these decisions.
Disadvantages of Servant Leadership
- Slower Decision-Making
Decisions don’t get made on the spot. There are layers to each decision as all perspectives have to be taken into consideration before things can move forward. This can make it harder to ramp things up when it comes to revenue and it can hurt the business in that regard.
- Demands Retraining
Servant leadership is not focused on traditional methods that leaders have become used to. It requires a shift in mindset and that does require retraining. Otherwise, it is hard for leaders to thrive and they start making mistakes.
- Reduces The Leader’s Role
The leader is supposed to benefit the organization and is going to be looking at the staff. The request cannot be self-serving and that tends to cut into what the leader does. A lot of leaders in this type of situation will work harder to help the organization and that leads to longer hours too.
These are the advantages and disadvantages of servant leadership for companies that implement this type of setup. It is about focusing on others before yourself and understanding the goal is to help the organization as a whole.
