In today’s competitive business culture, leadership is often defined by visibility, authority, and results. We celebrate the visionary, the rainmaker, the decisive executive. But there is another model of leadership—one that is quieter, deeper, and ultimately more transformative: servant leadership.

It’s my intention to approach everything in my life as a servant. Whether I’m serving my clients, my professional team, community organizations, or friends and family, I put great stock in serving because I believe our ability and duty to serve others is one of the reasons we are here on earth.

This week on my radio show, I spoke to an incredible servant leader, Dr. Amanda Cooley of Unlimited Dreams Christian Learning Center in Laurel, Mississippi. I urge you to listen to our conversation and get inspired about what is possible in your own life through the goodness of God. 

Hearing about Dr. Cooley’s outstanding work reminded me why servant leadership is the foundation of my life. Because at its core, servant leadership is not just a business strategy. It is a spiritual calling.

What is a servant leader?

Sometimes the best way to define something is to define what it is not. “Oftentimes, we confuse leadership with dictatorship,” says Cheryl Polote Williamson. “A dictator barks out orders and does not take into account the wants and needs of others.”

While you may know you don’t want to be a dictator, it’s easy to fall into the gray area between dictator at one end of the spectrum and servant leader at the other end.

I want to share with you five important aspects of leading with a servant’s heart so you can make sure these are a part of who you are as a leader.

1. A servant leader cares genuinely.

A typical leader might value that your team member’s child care or elder care is stable and consistent because that means she’s available for work, but a servant leader values stable and consistent care because it’s important for the well-being of the team member.

Make sure you’re showing the people you lead how much you truly care about them on a regular basis, whether it’s with kind words, tokens of appreciation, or taking time to congratulate and thank them for a job well done.

This is why my newsletter and blog are so important to me. I care that you succeed, whether or not you ever hire me for coaching. So I aim to give away valuable content here each and every week as an act of service to you.

2. A servant leader loves what she does.

While you might not love every moment of every day, as a servant leader, you approach your work with love. After all, that’s what got you into doing what you do in the first place, isn’t it? You felt a passion that led you to take action.

Many of my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients are hard at work making the world better in one way or another. But you don’t have to change the world to love what you do. Find the aspects of your job that you love and see if you can amplify them, by focusing your time on them, outsourcing other projects to your team, or tweaking the parts you don’t love to be more like the parts you do.

3. A servant leader is humble.

While your typical leader might feel that certain tasks are beneath them, a servant leader knows there is no such thing as too small a task. Although they might report to you, you are no better than anyone on your team, nor are you too good for any task. And if you expect them to do any kind of work, you had better be willing to do it yourself as well.

Now that’s not to say it makes sense to do all the work yourself. As you know, delegating is an important part of leadership. It’s about your attitude. You’re not above anyone or anything.

4. A servant leader listens to her team.

In order to serve, you have to understand. And in order to understand, you have to listen with empathy. That’s how you’ll build a solid relationship on which to lead. When you truly listen, you’ll learn from your team, your clients, your customers, and your followers, and you’ll know what they need from you.

True servant leaders earn the support of their team, not demand it.

5. A servant leader leads in service.

As a servant leader, you not only want to be a servant yourself, but establish a culture of service. If you demonstrate a pattern of serving others, your colleagues, peers, clients, and friends will be inspired to join you.

I’ll give you an example. The non-profit organization I co-founded, The Women of Community Impact, will be partnering with my Berry College sisters from the 1976 National Championship Women’s Basketball Team for a service project next month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our championship. And that service project will be at Dr. Amanda Cooley’s school, Unlimited Dreams Christian Learning Center! We will spend a full day helping out in the building, praying with the students, assisting with lunch, and even throwing an ice cream social for everyone. Serving others in the community is the perfect way for our group to commemorate this special anniversary. 

In addition to our in-person work at Unlimited Dreams on March 26, we will also be fundraising for the school’s needs, which Dr. Cooley keeps tuition-free for her 112 students. We have an anonymous donor who will match any donations made through The Women of Community Impact’s donation page up to $1,000, so please consider supporting this wonderful and important cause. 

The Strength of the Servant Leader

Humility is the source of strength as a servant leader. As Jesus told his Apostles, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35). 

As a humble, selfless servant leader, your success will grow organically because you’ll attract excellent clients and an outstanding team who will be eager to serve you as you serve them. That’s a formula for building a Legacy Business.

If you want help developing your servant leadership skills, contact me today.

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Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlus™” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with more than 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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