The “Servant Leader”
Supporting others.
By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP
What does the term “servant leader” mean to you?
I’m sure this concept is explained in many places, but I’m a big fan of author Simon Sinek, so I’m going to use his version and refer to his book, Leaders Eat Last.
As the book’s lesson summary says:
Empathy Is One Of The Most Powerful Tools In An Organization
Your Employees Aren't Robots, Treat Them Like People
Being A Leader Is Like Being A Parent
Create a Circle Of Safety
We're Built To Work Together
I have seen the phrase “servant leader” on a lot of resumes. It makes no sense for some people. How can you claim leadership if you’re not overseeing people?
When I ask these people what the phrase “servant leader” means, they usually respond, “Well, I’m a really good leader.” Uh huh.
Good leadership is more than feeling confident that you would have handled the situation better than what you witnessed. It’s one thing to hypothesize, it’s quite another to actually be able to successful dissolve conflict and make a workplace a better place, even though you’re dealing with conflicting personalities, conflicting deadlines, and conflicting ideologies. Being a servant leader in those situations, with lots of pressure and money riding on a decision, cannot be theoretical. It’s very easy to say, “I could have done that!” So why haven’t you?
It’s kind of like the difference between being powerful and being influential.
Anyone can try to be powerful. A manager can act powerful with the right tools and the ability to intimidate and manipulate.
But being influential and truly inspirational to others takes empathy. And emotional intelligence. And trust. And long-term vision. And putting others first. And seeing other leaders as collaborative and complementary instead of competition and conflict.
Anyway, you should not put anything on your resume that you can’t speak to. If you think you’re a servant leader, great, be ready to prove it with specific incidents and how you made the company better.
“Servant leader” is a very specific term that describes a person who puts employees first, gives the team a reason to work together, makes sure that everyone is communicating, and supports the team with resources.
Make sure that you exemplify that for you use the term on your resume.
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Better job. More pay. More control.
For a free resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!