Servant leadership

2 of our books define this term — and their definitions are worth reading side by side.

A leadership style that views the leader’s job as helping “subordinates” to be successful in their work. A servant leader sees his or her employees as the ones who are actually adding value, and his or her job as supporting them in doing so, often by removing impediments that they face in accomplishing their initiatives. Servant leadership works well with Agile approaches, where cross-functional teams are autonomous and empowered, rather than continually taking orders from leaders. Servant leadership is contrasted with “command and control” leadership styles, where the “boss” tells the employees what to do and makes sure they do it.

War and Peace and IT: Glossary, Mark Schwartz

See also Agile · servant leader · Ambassadorship · Commander’s intent

Filed under Leadership & Culture

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