Module four share the power. For some leaders learning to share the power can be one of the hardest obstacles they face. After all, leaders are supposed to have a sense of power and use it when they can. But a servant leader knows that when they share power with their employees learn to be empathetic and share success with employees. They in turn, gain more power in the end and become an even better leader. being empathetic.
Being empathetic toward employees can seem like an easy concept. But many leaders actually do not practice empathy with their team, which can lead to unhappy employees. Empathy should not be confused with sympathy. Empathy allows you to put yourself in someone else's shoes and see how they feel. By being empathetic leaders are able to share the power by metaphorically getting on the employees level and understand the problems and challenges they face and how it affects the work they do. It shows the employee that their leader listens to their problems and recognize their efforts, which in turn can actually boost their confidence and create a desire to work harder.
For the leader, be more empathetic. Use active listening. Understand personal challenges or obstacles. Do not mistake empathy for weakness. Learn to delegate. Many leaders have a problem with proper delegation.
Many leaders fear delegating tasks because they fear the employee may not complete the task the right way. So the leader develops the old attitude that if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. However, this type of thinking can be harmful to the servant leader and their team of employees. A leader must learn to delegate to not only ensure that they are not doing all of the work themselves, but delegating also instills a sense of trust among the employees when they know that their leader can trust them to do something right. Tips for delegating, assign the right task to the right person. Give clear instructions ensure understanding before releasing follow up.
Their success is your success. This element of servant leadership is the easiest to comprehend. A leader knows that when their employees succeed, they succeed as well. There is no I in team. Once again, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So if one link breaks, the whole chain falls apart.
But if every link is strong and capable, then the chain can withstand almost anything. A leader must work with their employees by coaching them, guiding them, offering advice and help when needed in order to help them meet deadlines, achieve their goals and grow professionally. As employees succeed and become an asset to the company leaders will feel the success as well because they will have the satisfaction of knowing that the employee reached success with their help and will continue to do great work under their guidance, know when to step in. As a servant leader, it is a natural desire to want to serve our employees than to assist them in every challenge that they face. It's natural to want to hold their hand at times until they have finally reached their goal. But a leader must also know when they need to step back from the employee and when it is the right time to step in and help.
Employees should possess the right knowledge and skills to work a task or complete a project. Of course, the employee will face challenges or have trouble in some area, but the employee must first try to work out the problem themselves. Although a leader may observe the employee and see when they are challenged, the leader must know that it is appropriate to stand back while the employee works through the problem. Only when the employee cannot progress further or is at a point in which they do not have any skills or knowledge of the leader can step in and offer help or guidance. It can be a hard balance between letting the employee work on their own to learn more, and doing everything with him every step of the way. But a servant leader can find an equilibrium somewhere in between and benefit both the employee and the leader.
Case Study. Tim is speaking with his co manager Dorothy about some of the employees on their accounting team. Tim says that he feels as though he is doing a large amount of the caseload since one of their employees Dave has been out due to a date. In his family, Tim is starting to get upset that other employees are not taking on some of the duties. Dorothy reminded him that Dave is usually a good worker, so they must be empathetic to his recent circumstances which are very saddening to anyone. Dorothy also asked him if he had decided to delegate some of his tasks to some of the senior employees.
When he said he hadn't, Dorothy suggested he let go of some of the work he had and get assistance from the qualified senior employees. So he would have more time to help in other areas. Dorothy reminded Tim, that they are there to help the employees so it's alright to get help from them every once in a while.