Servant Leadership In a Disruptive Age

Servant Leadership Defined

Robert Greenleaf originated the philosophy of servant leadership over 60 years ago. In his

essay he explained, “The role of a servant leader is to empower individuals within their roles,

seeking out opportunities to develop their talent, build relationships based on mutual trust,

empathy, and collaboration to work collectively toward a shared goal.1

Servant leadership is based on the idea that leaders should strive for the collective

personal growth and development of employees and put their teams before themselves.

Furthermore, servant leaders demonstrate empathy for their employee's goals and

objectives while also considering organizational needs when making decisions or offering

advice. Leaders who practice servant leadership take responsibility for their actions and are

committed to building relationships with those around them through active listening and

responding thoughtfully to input and concerns.

Disruptive Generational Demographics

Whether the organization is large or small, manufacturing or services focused, or public or

private, senior executives in the C-Suite recognize their businesses are dynamic with a

blended workforce of generations. Giving orders or directives as if in the military simply is

no longer effective. This is further complicated by 1) workplace dynamics in a post-COVID

world, 2) the rapidly changing generational demographics as baby boomers are retiring at a

rate of thousands per day and 3) accelerating technology advances and the increasing

velocity of information flow. Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, rapidly

reshaping how we work and live. Workplace dynamics, accelerated by COVID, are shifting

alongside how and where value is being created. Generational influences and impacts are

more readily seen in how the next generations of professionals and future leaders respond

to organizational leadership styles. While generational differences can seem small, they

have a big impact in the workplace.2 This can pose new and frequently changing challenges

for leaders. A more collaborative leadership approach to drive business success is

appropriate for these times.

1 The Servant as Leader, an essay by R. Greenleaf

2 TriNet, Generational Differences in the Workplace: Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z Explained, Feb 22, 2024

Servant Leadership: A Style For The Generations

Servant leadership and its inherent focus on engaging people is increasingly recognized as

an effective, flexible approach to effectively lead organizations; organizations -- comprised

of people and teams. Those same individuals and teams desire to grow in capability,

develop and learn new skills, and achieve a sense of accomplishment through their

contribution toward achieving goals and driving the organization forward.

Bringing people together and driving collaboration in and among teams while aligning

personal growth and development with the achievement of business objectives is central

to achieving a shared vision for the future. Robert Greenleaf would likely agree with Zig

Ziglar’s principle, “You don’t build a business, you build people, and people build the

business.” Persons who embody the servant leadership style almost unanimously identify

with this position.