From growing awareness to setting ambitious goals, here are 13 answers to the question, "What are the best strategies you use to demonstrate servant leadership?"

• Gather and Spread Awareness

• Put Your Team First

• Lead by Example

• Offer Opportunities to Grow

• Practice Active Listening

• Prioritize Mental Health

• Stay Connected With Your Intentions

• Seek Opportunities to Empower

• Focus on Empathy

• Ask, “How Can I Help You?”

• Listen and React to Your Employees

• Take Responsibility for Employees' Mistakes

• Set Ambitious Goals

Gather and Spread Awareness

Awareness is key when leading an organization and involves not just gathering awareness of all that is going on around you so you understand your workforce better, but also spreading awareness so that you can help them achieve more. 

Awareness is an even more crucial element when accommodating the tenets of servant leadership. As a leader, by knowing more about the people, I can lead them better, both in terms of professional outlook and personal goals—this means I can balance their goals with our organizational vision. 

At the same time, in spreading awareness, I also acknowledge the needs of the workforce and fulfill them by informing them of learning and growth opportunities—this means I can now merge their professional growth with our organizational growth. All this while emerging as a servant leader

-Riley Beam, Managing Attorney, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

Put Your Team First

As a CEO, demonstrating servant leadership can be done by putting the needs and concerns of your employees and customers first, and making their well-being a top priority. 

One specific strategy is to actively listen to and engage with both employees and customers, and take their feedback into consideration when making business decisions. This shows that you value their input and are committed to creating a positive work and customer experience. 

Additionally, as a servant leader, it's important to lead by example and show a strong work ethic, ethical behavior, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. By doing so, you can build trust and inspire your team to do their best work, ultimately leading to a more successful and fulfilling work environment for everyone.

-Trey Ferro, CEO, Spot Pet Insurance

Lead by Example

Leading by example means not only implementing ideas and solutions but also walking the talk by taking action and doing the right thing. Demonstrating a commitment to serving others starts with my own actions and behaviors. When I am modeling behavior that is in line with what I'm advocating for, it creates an environment of trust among those around me—something that is essential for any successful leader. 

It's important to remember that servant leadership begins with leading yourself first. From there, you can help empower those around you through collaboration, communication, and inspiration. Doing so will create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued, which can produce positive outcomes.

-Arkadiusz Terpilowski, Head of Growth and Co-Founder, Primetric

Offer Opportunities to Grow

I lead a division of our company that comprises seven positions. It's important to give team members the opportunity to grow. This can be done by promoting people internally and giving them a chance to take on new responsibilities and challenges. 

This helps our team members grow their careers, which ‌then helps them become happier and more engaged in their work. It also gives me an opportunity to recognize the contributions of our team members and to show them that their hard work is appreciated. It goes both ways. The best part of servant leadership is that it helps everyone succeed.

-Luciano Colos, Founder and CEO, PitchGrade

Practice Active Listening

Servant leadership is a leadership style that is all about putting others first, like a genie granting wishes. One key strategy for putting this philosophy into practice is through the art of active listening. 

Active listening is all about giving your undivided attention to the speaker, truly understanding their message, and responding in a way that shows empathy and understanding. Think of it like a treasure hunt: the more you listen, the more treasure you will discover. 

By showing your team that you value their input and concerns, you will build a foundation of trust and respect. This‌ will create a work environment where team members feel supported and valued, like a garden flourishing with positive energy. By using this strategy, you will be able to better understand and support your team, creating a work environment that is full of positivity, growth, and success.

-Alan Carr, Director, Webpop Design

Prioritize Mental Health

Mental health affects all aspects of our lives and often requires a certain level of support from those in positions of authority. When I'm leading, I strive to foster an environment that is conducive to people's growth, both professionally and personally. 

By ascribing a sense of value to mental well-being, I have been able to build strong and meaningful relationships with my team. This recognition has enabled everyone around me to feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings openly. It has provided us with the understanding we need to collectively reach our goals.

-Ludovic Chung-Sao, Lead Engineer and Founder, Zen Soundproof

Stay Connected With Your Intentions

Before I attempt to communicate or connect with any of my stakeholders, I take a moment to connect with my purest positive intention for them and our relationship. This puts me in the right mindset to show up fully present and ready to listen deeply and serve holistically.

-Bridget Burnham, President, BurnBright Communications

Seek Opportunities to Empower

Servant leadership is a model of leadership focused on service and support of others. One strategy I rely on is to actively seek opportunities to empower those around me. 

For example, recently at work, I encouraged my colleagues to come up with their own strategies for accomplishing a task and shared the credit for our success with everyone who had contributed ideas. This enabled them to gain experience and confidence in problem-solving which will help them in the future. 

By creating an environment that focuses on collaboration, communication, and growth, I'm showing servant leadership through the empowerment of others.

-Grace He, People and Culture Director, teambuilding.com

Focus on Empathy

As a servant leader, I build trust by letting my colleagues and employees know they are my equals. I show them this with my actions by assuring them we are in this together and by eliminating the hierarchy to resonate better with them. 

These actions naturally develop trust by being empathetic. I show them they are my peers, and that I am ready and willing to support them, even if it means being vulnerable. I am not above the principles of servant leadership just because I hold a certain leadership title.

-Dakota McDaniels, Chief Product Officer, Pluto

Ask, “How Can I Help You?”

A lot of times, when you talk to a manager, they're reaching out to tell you what they need: "Can you get that PowerPoint to me by Monday?" "Did you get the email I sent about the new lead?" 

That's why it's revolutionary when that script gets flipped on its head. 

How often has a manager contacted you for the sole purpose of asking how things are going and if they can help, and mean genuinely interested in helping, not as a polite way to nag you about a task? Creating this culture of constant openness and willingness to mentor your employees can transform the way your team works.

-Beverly Gearreald, Product and Operations Lead, Transizion

Listen and React to Your Employees

As a leader, I strive to focus on helping and serving others—that's what servant leadership is all about. To show this, I take the time to listen carefully to my employees and look out for areas where they can use my help or guidance. If anyone needs clarification or has questions that need to be answered, I try to be there for them. 

Additionally, I look for ways to empower my staff with tools so they can continue to advance their own skill sets.

-Jeremy Reis, Founder, Explore Startups

Take Responsibility for Employees' Mistakes

Taking ownership of your direct reports' mistakes sends a powerful message. It highlights the organization's responsibility for employee training, development, and well-being, and when these become mismatched, it's the organization's fault, not the employees'. 

With a servant leadership style, your job is to serve your direct reports, and if they are struggling with their tasks, it's your responsibility to address this. By shifting the blame away from employees, they avoid feelings of guilt and inadequacy, which stifle personal development rather than promote it. Instead, this approach allows you to address the underlying issues behind mistakes and provide the necessary resources to avoid them in the future.

-Ben Schwencke, Business Psychologist, Test Partnership

Set Ambitious Goals

Companies should show that they are trying to scale their servant leadership and maximize the positive impacts they make in their communities, on their employees, on the customers, and in the environment. 

To do this, they should set clear and ambitious targets around the key initiatives of their corporate responsibility program, such as goals for employee volunteer hours, percentage of profit donated, number of lives positively impacted, etc.

-Josh Prigge, Principal and Sustainability Consultant, Sustridge

~benefitcorporationsforgood.com~