Leaders are not born.
They are made by the choices they constantly make.
Every person has the ability to learn to become a leader. We have to lead our own lives, otherwise we will be led by others. Servant leadership is a style of leadership that places the benefits of others over benefits to self. Here are seven servant leadership traits we can all learn.
1. Willingness to embrace discomfort: taking the lead on projects and in organisations is not comfortable. You will have to deal with different types of people, you will come up against various obstacles and you will face the precipice of perceived limitations.
People who choose to embrace the discomfort that change brings are the ones that are able to bring about change.
2. Commitment to personal growth: When you say ‘yes’ to the call of leadership, you will face the reality of all the areas in your life where growth is required. It could be learning how to speak up and express your opinion or how to say no when your habit of taking on too much is jeopardizing what you can actually produce.
People who commit to personal growth reflect on their actions and experiences and allow what they’ve learned to keep moving forward.
3. Taking on difficulties and finding solutions: Most people avoid problems. Or they wait for other people to fix things. Leaders see the problem, look for possible solutions and then go about the business of creating solutions to problems.
People who take on difficulties and find solutions will become sought after leaders because they bring a resilience and focus to the things they take on.
4. Doing more than others are willing to do: The extremes on the workload scale is “that’s not part of my job description” to “I’m burnt out because I’ve been doing too much.” Working long hours doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re being productive but leaders often take on projects and tasks because they see the potential positive outcomes.
People who do more than others are willing to do are those who are committed to creating positive changes.
5. Accepting responsibility: With greater levels of leadership, comes greater levels of responsibility. Your ability to respond to the challenges and circumstances grows in relation to the depth of your character.
People who are open to accepting responsibility are those who grow in character and expand their lives to encompass greatness.
6. Paying the price for greatness: The people we admire, the ones that we revere as great leaders, have all paid the price for personal greatness. They read books, listen to teachings, expand their minds to imagine what could be, they tackle difficult situations and allow their experiences to grow them.
People who pay the price for greatness reap the rewards of intentional growth.
7. Embracing service to others: Servant leaders are not in it for control. They want to serve others, instead of forcing people to serve them. Living your life in service to others is both challenging and rewarding.
People who embrace service to others live rich, fulfilling lives.