You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you and it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. Mark 10:42–44 (NLT)
Do you ever get frustrated with the people you lead? Using more authoritarian techniques can seem like a much easier way to get people to do what you want them to do, but servant leadership is the better way. Jesus said this thousands of years ago, but recent studies also prove it.
For example, a study published in the July, 2011 edition of the Journal of Applied Psychology says that, servant leadership has a significant effect on increasing team performance.
When people believe that you genuinely care about their welfare, you create a safe place for individual risk taking. They “believe they can participate openly and actively without fear of suffering adverse, personal consequences, such as being derogated for their ideas and observations and the manner by which they expressed them”.
Don’t allow yourself to revert to traditional authoritarian methods of leading. Servant leadership may take a bit of work, but when you think about it, having to consistently demand your leadership position is even more exhausting. I’m not saying that you should take this to the extreme, catering to every complaint. That’s not what Jesus did. But, His heart was to serve those He led, keeping their best interests in mind. That’s the main thing to remember.
It is true that servant leadership has to be earned, just as trust is earned, but the results are worth the effort.