The former president of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, Larry C. Spears identified what he considered to be the 10 most important characteristics of servant leaders. His insightful list got me thinking about these characteristics from a practical standpoint. I would like to unpack these 10 characteristics with a focus on the action needed to become a daring leader who serves. Often times in leadership development or coaching we can theorize a leadership style in a very articulate way and that is fantastic, however, to truly see the power of a leader take hold action is required.
On the top of Spears’ list is the characteristic of listening. For any leader effective communication is an important characteristic to possess. Often least coached or measured in effective communication is the ability, and dare I say, responsibility of leaders to listen. As a leader in order to listen to another person, you have to provide an opportunity for the other person to speak. How do you do this effectively? In a conversation:
- Speak in a concise manner: Doing so allows for three important components of listening as a leader –to be clear in your message; provide the needed room for the other person to participate; and actually stop talking and LISTEN.
- Seek to understand: Instead of using your part of the exchange for a monologue ask questions.
A servant leader considers the person and the message when listening. After all we must acknowledge that what we are saying must actually mean something to the other person – we must add value! Think about a recent conversation you have had. Was the listener polite? Now think about the specifics of the conversation. Did you have to later repeat anything you said to this person? Remember the goal of serving as a leader is to help others reach their full potential. A leader that masters the art of listening as a critical characteristic of communication, with the intention of helping others reach their potential, will do two things consistently:
- Give the other person the opportunity to speak;
- Ask questions about their needs.
To ensure you are adding the value the other person is seeking test your listening ability by viewing your conversations to see if they are:
- Building rapport – building rapport shows that you are interested in them and not simply serving yourself through the conversation. Does the person continue to seek out conversations with you and do they keep coming back because they see the value it adds to their life? A servant leader who listens well moves from a monologue to a dialogue to a conversation. Are you a conversational leader?
- Getting feedback voluntarily – a leader that moves from a monologue through to a conversation also is someone that receives feedback without soliciting it formally. The team is open, honest (with good and bad news) and information is flowing in both directions in the relationship.
Three steps in adding value as a leader that genuinely listens:
- Clearly articulate a message
- Clarify understanding by asking questions
- Adapt what you are saying to ensure meeting the needs of the other person
Research tells us that 85 percent of what we know we have learned through listening. Imagine all of the knowledge we can gain about our organization, our employees and ourselves by engaging in effective listening!
One last thought on the characteristic of listening as a servant leader. Don’t forget to take the time to reflect on your conversations regularly. Taking the time to reflect on your conversations using the lens of these practical actions will enable you to stay engaged and on the pathway to daring to lead by serving. This part of listening is the ability to listen to your own inner voice.
For more insights on the skills of listening check out TedTALK by sound expert Julian Treasure
Be sure to check out my next post as I continue to unpack and provide practical tips on characteristics of being a leader that dares to serve!
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