"Servant leadership" makes me want to scream.

The term "servant leadership" makes me want to scream.

 During my recent participation at the Business Show in Excel London, I had the opportunity to engage with a lecturer who is an advocate of the ‘servant leadership’ style of working. As someone who believes in leading from the back, our conversation was both fascinating and enlightening. Despite our differing perspectives, we shared a common goal and engaged in a productive discussion.

 Servant leadership is a management style where leaders prioritise serving the needs of their team and organisation. Definitely, not the style we promote, we are all about Leading from the back, this incorporates many of the principles of transformational leadership, emphasising empowerment and enabling teams to excel in their work. By building confidence and resilience within individuals, leaders create a self-sufficient and motivated workforce that delivers exceptional results for both themselves and the organisation.

 To achieve this, leaders create a psychologically safe environment that encourages open and honest communication, feedback, and a culture of continuous learning. This approach allows managers to focus on strategic initiatives and high-impact projects, providing opportunities for the team, the organisation and themselves to grow and flex, while also considering their own career growth. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

 Regardless of what you might label the style, there is a greater requirement for balance and growth, and this is across the three key sustainable areas of responsibility: social (includes self, team, colleagues, clients, suppliers, community etc), environment and economics (revenue and profit etc). 

What is your opinion on management styles?