Servant Leadership vs. Servant Management

Tam Young • February 2, 2023

I'm not an expert in Servant Leadership; I only know the phrase because one of my career coaching clients mentioned it. But, when I heard the term, I was surprised that I hadn't heard it before.

Most MBA programs have it in their curriculum as one of the management styles one can use as a manager. Such as...

Directive Management
Coaching Management
Relational Management
Affiliative Management
Participative Management (also called democratic style)
Pace-setting Leadership (aka: leading by example)
Servant Leadership

Male manager directing a female employee

You can learn more about these management styles in this article from Rasmussen University.

Let's call it Servant Management

I prefer the term Servant Management over Servant Leadership.

So, what's the difference?

"Servant leadership" sounds like a top-down approach that removes the meaning of servant. "Servant management" sounds more like someone on the ground than someone on the top of the triangle.

The core values that I can connect with are:

Honour Others (Before Yourself)

Respect and raise others ahead of yourself.

Inspire Vision (Before Setting The Course)

Elicit vision from others around you so that ideas and motivation come from your team.

Choose Ethics (Before Profit)

Setting your ethical value higher than the bottom line will end up helping the bottom line over the long term because it will build long-term trust.

Empower Others (Before Personal Gain)

Asking for the opinions of others and implementing their ideas will help them see that they can impact their work, allowing them to feel empowered.

Commit to the growth of people (Before Tasks)

To develop the team members that you manage, understand their strengths and weaknesses so that you can give them tasks that are suited to them and help them to stretch themselves to grow.

This style of management can take some getting used to, or it could be something you are already using without even realizing it.

If you struggle with managing teams in your work, feel free to book a free exploratory session with Tam Young Coach.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Stress, does everyone get it?

By Tam Young • December 9, 2024

Oh, Stress.

Eliciting Core Values to Further Your Career

By Tam Young • December 6, 2022

Core Values are the fundamental beliefs of a person. These guiding principles dictate behavior and can help people understand if they are on the right path, and fulfilling their goals, by creating an unwavering guide.

How to Develop a Stress-Reduction Plan

By Tam Young • October 25, 2022

While the body's physiological stress response - the fight or flight response - is virtually universal, the way that stress impacts us is as unique to each individual as the events that cause us stress in the first place.

What a Life Coach Can Do for You

By Tam Young • September 15, 2022

One of the main benefits of working with a life coach is the ability to gain a fresh, informed perspective on problems that you face. In addition to offering new insight into challenges, a life coach can help you to zero in on negative patterns that could be standing in the way of your success.

Making Your Team More Productive

By Tam Young • August 31, 2022

Many C-level executives face challenges in getting their teams to be productive. Perhaps you have tried many things, and you have encouraged your team and tried to support them, but still, their productivity is not being achieved.

NLP in Coaching

By Tam Young • January 6, 2022

Neuro Linguistic programming is a psychological approach that involves analysing strategies used by successful individuals and applying them to reach a personal goal. It relates thoughts, language, and patterns of behaviour learned through experience to specific outcomes.

Start Advancing Your Career Now!

CONTACT US

+81 (0)70-5339-7530