Servant Leadership

Projects are made by people and for people. Yet, most projects have failed right here, especially since it was not until lately that people became truly recognized and incorporated in project management. It has been a mistake to think that people leave their personalities at home when going to work. So attracting, engaging and integrating people with their own interests, feelings, ideas, and competencies is not optional but required in project, program, and portfolio management. Especially since the complexity and uncertainty certainly bring about emotions in people. This necessitates a form of leadership that is suited to this environment, and servant leadership is one such form, where the people really are the centre of attention with the executive being a true leader rather than a boss. C.f. James W. Sipe and Don M. Frick in their book "Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership", servant leadership is attained by implementing seven things:

1. Being a person of character
2. Putting people first
3. Being a skilled communicator
4. Being a compassionate collaborator
5. Having foresight
6. Being a Systems Thinker
7. Having moral authority

The concept

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Person of Character

The core competencies of a person of character are that he maintains integrity, demonstrates humility, and serves a higher purpose. This character behavior has a huge effect on the quality and effectiveness of leadership: Many experts say that leadership competence is based on character more than technique [6], leaders of character generate more loyality, creativity, and productivity [7], a Harvard study indicates that most of the leader's performance is due to his personal character [8], and companies with a strong culture of shared values and principles outperform other companies a lot [9].

Maintaining integrity

A person of character makes ethical and principle-centered decisions. He does not lead by ego but with his conscience, the inward moral sense of right and wrong. Rather, he has enough self-awareness to point his inner compas towards "true north" of real leadership and not "magnetic north", which culturally conditioned values, others' needs and expectations, the ego etc. are pointing him towards. When the "magnetic attraction" becomes too severe and forces him away from true north, he does his upmost to get back on course.

Honesty is the most important ingredient according to a twenty-five year study on what people most admire in their leaders [13], so the person of character is also virtuous, trustworthy, and honest. By honesty it is not ment that he expresses whatever he thinks or feels, but that he is authentic: he must know himself and others, use personal histories to etablish common ground, choose carefully which authentic parts of himself to reveal and in which situations etc.

Simple things one can do to maintain integrity is, for example, to return phone calls, follow up on details, keep promises, and admit mistakes [s. 27].

Demonstrating humility

Humility also contributes to leadership effectiveness [15]. Being humble makes us listen to other opinions, which in turn makes us to do better and more insightful decisions, based on more diverse information. This is especially important in projects due to the high level of complexity and uncertanity. We need input and feedback from others and not being defensive when we receive critisim. Humility helps with this. Authoritarian hierarchy and egotistic pride in leaders are due to their own insecurity that people will not follow them if they dont exercise coercive power [19 og 20]. It is important to surrender one's own ego for the sake of the project. Remind yourself that you are not right all the time, and show it to others as well by asking even your subordinates in the project if something is the right thing to do.

Serving a higher purpose

A person of character is filled with a depth of spirit and enthusiam, and he is committed to the desire to serve something beyond himself. The Irish author and philosopher specialising in organisational behaviour and management, Charles Hardy, states: "The companies that survive are the ones that work out what they uniquely can give to the world - not just growth or money but their excellence, their respect for others, or their ability to make people happy." [s. 30] Humans search for a purpose in life, and the servant-leader should ask himself what his mission in life is and how he can make a difference. Every person has a calling - what is yours? Find out what you are passionate about and really good at. Then ask yourself how this can help you to achieve the goals of the project you're in. Or how you can use it to start a new project to achieve great goals, for instance one of the UN global goals for sustainable development (http://www.globalgoals.org). Then strive to achieve the goals. This will inspire one's subordinates and other observers as well.

Puts People First

The core competencies of one who puts people first are that he displays a servant's heart, is mentor-minded, and shows care and concern, to help others meet their highest priority development needs. Putting people before profit can, ironically, make a project or an organization even more profitable. A research from Stanford University suggests that companies with a "people first" mentality have a significant competitive advantage and outperform all competitors [1]. Instead of just spouting the slogans "our people are our biggest assets" or "we put people first", a servant-leader really puts the people before, for instance, profit, and sacrifice self-interests for the sake of others. However, there is a balance, since, of course, a person who sacrifices too much and neglects himself can not function.

Displaying a servant's heart

Seeks first to serve, then aspires to lead. Self-interest is deeply connected to the needs and interests of others. Many effective ladership models say that great leaders should show concern for their subordinates, but besides showing concern, an even greater effect is obtained when the leader also is at their service. True leadership emerges from a deep desire to serve and is not something to work for but something that happens by itself. The joy of giving is its own reward: a study suggests that the areas of the brain stimulated through sex, drugs and money are also stimulated by acts of helping others and altruism [4]. So your own heart will be at rest too.

Being mentor-minded

A mentor-minded servant-leader serves in a manner that allows those served to grow as persons. He does not impose his own wisdom but allows them to develop their own. Mentoring should not be about the mentor but the mentee.

Showing care and concern

A servant-leader espresses genuine care and concern for others. Caring is not tantamount to being soft and overlooking mistakes, but one most seperate the behavior from the person. It is also more than just being nice. Care is expressed with action. For instance, you could provide opportunities for them to achieve the important needs discribed by Maslow: self-actualization needs, esteem needs, belonging needs, safety needs, and physiological needs [kilde]. This way, they should also be highly motivated. --

Skilled communicator

A skilled communicator is one who listens earnestly and speaks effectively. His core competencies is that he demonstrates empathy, invites feedback and communicates persuasively. Many experts say that skillful communication is the foundation of effectice leadership. With skillful communication they mean listening to understand others and expressing on's thoughts, feelings, and needs with genuineness, respect, and clarity [1].

Communicating persuasively

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Compassionate Collaborator

A compassionate collaborator strengthens relationships, supports diversity, and creates a sense of belonging. He expresses appreciation, builds teams and communities, and negotiates conflict.

Negotiating conflict

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Has Foresight

One who has foresight imagines possibilities, anticipates the future, and proceeds with clarity of purpose. He is visionary and he displays creativity and takes courageous and decisive action.

Taking courageous and decisive action

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Systems Thinker

A systems thinker is one who thinks and acts strategically, leads change effectively, and balances the whole with the sum of its parts. He is comfortable with complexity, demonstrates adaptability, and considers the "greater good".

Considering the "greater good"

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Leads with Moral Authority

One who leads with moral authority is worthy of respect, inspires trust and confidence, and establishes quality standars for performance. He accepts and delegates responsibility, shares power and control, and creates a culture of accountability. --

Application

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Limitations

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Annotated bibliography

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