6 Powerful Benefits From The Practice of Servant Leadership

This post is the second in a four-part series on servant leadership. In the first post, I sought to redefine the traditional understanding of servant leadership by providing the following from Irving and Strauss, "Servant leadership is characterized by valuing people, developing people, building community, displaying authenticity, providing leadership, and sharing leadership."[1] Their insight gives us a framework to consider an approach to servant leadership.

 Notice that this framework does not abdicate the role of a leader to lead well. It is not a soft approach to leading nor one that defaults to only consensus decisions and weak execution. On the contrary, this leadership style requires strength of character, a sense of clear direction, and growing emotional intelligence. As you can tell from my words, I see leadership as more of a daily practice than a role or title. 21st-century servant leadership, regardless of role or title, is a daily practice of putting others first—beginning with your team or those directly reporting to you. It is undergirded by the belief that as your people go, so goes the organization.

 There are at least six proven benefits to practicing leadership this way. They are listed below.

 6 Benefits of a Servant Leadership Approach

A more developed workforce

Notice that Irving and Strauss listed two important elements that focused on people's core needs—feeling valued and being developed. I am convinced that everyone wants to know, be known, and be validated as a person of worth. And I believe that people want to grow. This goes back to the creation mandate in Genesis 1 of the Bible. If we are created as image bearers, we possess inherent dignity and worth—and we were created to make a difference. If leaders truly see their employees, teammates, and direct reports as their most valuable resource, then their intentional efforts should focus on finding various ways to value and develop them. The practice of servant leadership thinks this way. 

A more engaged workforce

A workforce that feels valued and is growing personally and professionally will naturally be more engaged. Over time, people gravitate toward positive, uplifting work environments more than they do toward greater compensation. A recent survey pointed out that the main reason for leaving a job is the leader over them or leadership in general. Quality engagement flows from feeling valued and developed—and leaders who are intentional about both.

A stronger leadership bench

The first job of every organizational leader is to raise up more leaders. Being intentional about all employees' development will begin to surface those who can rise to the next levels of leadership within the organization. Pay attention to the desires and aspirations of your current workforce. Who do they want to become? What career path do they see for themselves? What level of self-leadership are you observing in them today? Are you supportive of their desire for growth and advancement? Do they know that? A quality leadership bench saves money and time and helps ensure the continuity of the culture. Shared leadership leads to empowered leadership and better developed leaders.

Better employee retention

It probably goes without saying that all the above, done well, increases employee retention. People will stay where they feel valued and developed and see a pathway for growth and advancement. And if the organization's mission, vision, and values are clear and actionable—you will see outsized results. A study by USI Insurance Services indicated that every time a business replaces a salaried employee, it costs them 6-9 months' salary in recruiting and training. This also reflects a lot of potential or unrealized talent walking out the door for lack of intentionality. 

A more agile workforce

"Agile" is the ready ability to move with quick, effortless grace or having a quick, resourceful, and adaptable character. This has become a highly sought-after employee trait in today's rapid change culture. Another working definition states that organizational agility is the organization's readiness to respond to sudden and often pronounced change. Let's be clear—you don't hire agility. According to the Brandon Hall Group, "organizational agility is reliant upon great leadership and high employee engagement." 

Notice that we have been building up to a culture of high employee engagement through a servant leadership approach. When leaders are more concerned and focused on their most valuable resource, their people engagement will rise. In addition, servant leadership always provides clear direction and a supportive voice and presence. This will result in a more willing, resilient, and adaptive workforce when change is required.

Overall, a better organizational culture

At the end of the day, we are talking about the power of organizational culture. There are several ways to talk about culture. Culture is what an organization allows and does not allow. Culture is made up of the assumptions, beliefs, and practices of that organization. Culture is "the way we do things around here." You can often determine cultural hypocrisy by measuring the gap between what is stated and what is practiced daily in any organization. 

 Patrick Lencioni equates organizational culture as one essential ingredient toward organizational health. Lencioni goes on to say, "The single greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health. Yet it is ignored by most leaders even though it is simple, free, and available to anyone who wants it." 

When you consider all the framework traits that Irving and Strauss articulated above, and you add the intentionality of senior leadership, a positive foundation for servant leadership is formed. In most cases you cannot microwave this approach. To borrow a common marathon axiom, “slow is fast.” Practice “people first”, be authentic in your approach, and build trust through great workplace culture. Leaders beget leaders and culture begets culture. Servant leadership is a proven approach for organizational health and effectiveness.

If you would like to grow your leadership in the context of a Christian cohort experience check out our Leadership Foundations development page.

[1] Leaders in Christian Perspective, Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Practices for Servant Leaders, Justin A. Irving and Mark L. Strauss, Baker Academic, 2019.

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