Servant Leadership- Coaching Employees to Reach Their Highest Potential

Leadership is critical in developing

Source: MCB Digital Marketing employee potential. Servant leaders

see this as second nature. Servant

leaders take this a step further and

actively drive efforts, purposefully

to reveal employee potential, grow

it, and enhance the performance of

the team and the organization.

Servant leaders are not viewing

leadership as a passive process, it as

a commitment to action and effort

that can be compared to the same

commitment seen in coaching an

athlete. An athlete which has raw

talent, the potential and the promise

seen from the eyes of an

experienced coach but one who

needs guidance, training,

competition, feedback, and

discipline to reach higher, elite

performance levels.

When an organization hires an employee, it’s like identifying an athlete with

natural ability and a baseline level of skill. The employee has demonstrated the ability to pursue a multi-year advanced collegiate career or may already have several years of professional, career experience completed. However, just as an athlete will never reach their highest potential without structured

coaching, feedback, and training, an employee will struggle to fully contribute without the right environment for learning and a leader that recognizes talent and is willing to invest and work with the employee consistently over time. I will call this the “right leadership.” This is where the servant leader steps in—not as a manager who simply directs tasks, but

as a coach and mentor dedicated to unlocking potential of the employee.

An effective coach assesses strengths and weaknesses, provides tailored training, and pushes the athlete beyond their comfort zone to reach new levels of capability. Similarly, a servant leader must identify gaps in an employee’s development and provide the right tools, mentorship, and feedback to help them grow. This process does not happen overnight—just as an athlete doesn’t master their sport in a day, an employee’s growth takes time, consistency, and the right leadership influence. Poor leadership can stunt this progress. A lack of clear direction, inadequate feedback, or dismissing an employee’s contributions limits their growth—just as an ineffective coach can hold an athlete back. In contrast, strong servant leaders provide employees with the structure, encouragement, and challenges needed to refine their skills and expand their capabilities.

Ultimately, closing the gap between an employee’s current performance and their full potential is the leader’s responsibility. When servant leaders embrace their role as a mentor and coach, invest in their employees’ growth, and cultivate a culture of continuous learning, the impact is transformational. Organizations filled with employees who have been developed, empowered, and coached to excel will not only perform at a higher level but will also create a legacy of leadership excellence. They will be the future servant leaders. Who in your organization is ready to be propelled to new levels with your investment of time & focus on their development? Would your organization benefit from some degree of cultivating leaders from within? Leadership is a hidden competitive advantage! Are you the one to champion this internally in your organization?