Servant Leadership & Career mindsets

It’s unbeknownst to me why more leaders have not made a decision to model “servant leadership” as it’s been the most successful way of running a corporation and the most successful leadership style for many over the most recent decades.

Whom are some companies and famous people who use this style of leadership?  Elon Musk, Chik-Fil-A, Bill Gates, Starbucks, Marriott, Martin Luther King JR, AFLAC, Whole Foods, YUM! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), Southwest Airlines, REI, 7-Eleven – Just to name a few.

We are all leaders in some way.  Whether it be something as seemingly small as having pets, or more importantly having children, and as nurses, leading our personnel on shift.  The way we conduct ourselves in our everyday lives largely affects our happiness, self-love and our success.  Adopting a method of leadership style can be beneficial to your success and moving toward promotions in your career.

My favorite structure of servant leadership is that it values ethics – including valuing ethics over profit.  The fact is that when we prioritize doing what is right over doing what is profitable, we reap long term and sustainable profit (in one way or another).  Example, doing what is right when it comes to your employees for their benefit, in the long run will reap continued rewards for you as a leader, because we are compelled to give our best to those who genuinely care for us and our potential.  In terms of business, you will find better turnover ratios in servant leadership managed job positions.

A big focus of servant leadership is “growing others” meaning, you are considering long term investment into your employees.  But this can be looked at in other ways than just business.  I always see – if I have an employee being less productive, not motivated and not on the same page as everyone else, as an opportunity to help them grow.  Find ways to give them the skills they need to be a part of team, be seen as an equal and to grow into a leader themself.  Understand that these characteristics are valuable in the long term, whoever this person or employee may go.  True leaders in my opinion are people who don’t boss people around but lead others through their actions and mentorship into a position that is beneficial to the employee and the leader.

The way we conduct ourselves is directly related to our happiness. The broken corporate system of brushing the dirty secrets under the rug and overlooking in justices should be days that are long gone.  The way the generations have changed, and the way our focuses have done a 360 in what we believe is good and right, don’t match many corporations’ functionality.  

I have learned firsthand in upper management positions and as an employee, that many companies today (especially in healthcare) do not match the “core values” their company supposedly operates by.  People oftenturn a blind eye to things that would “rock the boat” and create more work.  If things are not entirely broken, if there is not a lawyer involved… why do anything? Is often the way of thinking.

Have you learned the hard way, going to HR for an issue and ending up realizing that even though the information you have brought to HR was indeed awful and needs to be addressed? HR often will only address issues if they meet a certain criteria or if they are absolutely forced to.  Especially if it involves the wrongdoing of a superior, because keeping management in place can be a difficult feat and they would rather find a new employee than a new manager.  Doing what’s right is not generally the outcome you can expect.  I don’t say this, to encourage you to not affiliate yourself with HR when you feel the need to.  But to rock the boat of minds who are able to do something about this from continuing.  It is unfortunate that many of us have this experience.  It is also unfortunate that companies would excel and avoid many of the misfortunes they have endured, with short staffing, high turnover rates, going through many different companies/corporations managing their companies because so many have failed to handle business adequately.

In the end, integrity and ethics always win.  The best employees will always end up finding the better employers.  What can we do to change these dynamics?  I think it starts with our own ethics, instead of “giving in” and conforming to the standards we are met with, we can raise the bar and be better in our work environments.

So many people have the mind set of “That’s not my job” and while at times, I understand this.  Especially if you’re being guilted into additional hours, additional work that cannot be thrown to your pile.  But I do believe that the mindset of constant blame and settling for mediocrity is poison to our careers.  And it affects our overall happiness, because at the end of the day you can’t go home and feel good about working with such low standards.  You don’t see people saying “That’s not my job” being promoted and having successful careers.

When I recount my work histories, I always look for a way to do better, no matter what position I’m in – whether it’s a position of management or standard employee.  Because I find value in being someone with good leadership and ethics.  The fact is, we must find a balance in our work.  Often, we feel guilty when we are sick or ill, and it affects our work or our attendance.  That’s not the right thing to feel bad about.  Our physical and mental health must be looked after.

We do have a choice for who we work for, especially in the health industry.  You will get the most $, the most happiness and most gratification out of following that of a Servant leader.  Do your own research and maybe you’ll find that adopting some of the servant leadership standards would be beneficial in your career and a way to build your character positively.

Do you agree or disagree with this information?  What style of leadership do you follow, or do you see being used in your place of work?  If you have your own business, have you claimed a style of leadership?  Do you think it would make you more successful if you did choice a style of leadership?

Thanks for checking in with Nurse Nanook, and we hope to see you for the next blog.  Looking forward to hearing some opinions about Servant Leadership.  Always looking for blog/article topics, let me know what you would like to read about next!

Relevant Facts about Servant Leadership:

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:43-45

“A servant leader builds teams, listens, heals, persuades and empowers followers until consensus is reached. A servant leader ensures successful shared governance by building effective teams. Indeed, servant leadership promotes team effectiveness.” The role of Servant Leadership and Transformational – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

7 Values of a Servant Leader

  1. Honor Others before yourself
  2. Inspire vision before setting the course
  3. Choose ethics before profit
  4. Empower others before personal gain
  5. Privilege people before tasks
  6. Balance focus with flexibility before making decisions
  7. Serve with humility before all else

Credit PLNU (Point Loma Nazarene University)


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