From Leadership to Servant Leadership: Leading Through Service, Not Authority

The Functionality of a Leader

Leaders are often perceived as the primary problem-solvers in an organization, with responsibilities tied to decision-making. While this perception can establish authority and trust, it can also create dependency within the team, limiting employees’ ability to think critically and independently. When problem-solving is centralized in leadership, employees may hesitate to take initiative, reducing overall innovation and adaptability. Empowering team members to develop problem-solving skills fosters a culture of shared responsibility, allowing leaders to focus on strategic vision and growth rather than daily operational issues. For example, in challenging situations, team members instinctively turn to leaders for immediate and brilliant solutions. However, if this is the norm in your company, organizational growth will be hindered. Problem-solving should not be exclusive to leaders—it must be a default skill for every employee. Imagine an organization where every staff member is equipped to resolve their own challenges—how impactful would that be?

Sometimes, leaders struggle to grow not because they lack the desire but because they are consumed by solving others’ problems. For example, in many startups, founders initially handle every challenge themselves—customer issues, operational bottlenecks, and financial decisions. However, as the company scales, this approach becomes unsustainable. Without empowering employees to solve problems independently, the leader remains stuck in daily firefighting instead of focusing on strategic growth. Companies that invest in leadership development and delegation often see higher efficiency and employee engagement, as team members become proactive problem-solvers rather than passive followers. True leadership is about bringing people together to tackle challenges collectively. Even if you do not hold a formal leadership position, you can still lead—this is called followership. Followership is not about waiting for instructions but using leadership alongside leaders to help them identify blind spots. When this happens, leaders gain the capacity to focus on their true role: serving.

Serving is not about blindly doing things for others—it requires strategy to be sustainable. A sustainable serving strategy involves understanding long-term impact, setting boundaries, and empowering others rather than fostering dependency. For example, a leader who continuously solves a team’s issues without guiding them to think independently may create reliance rather than growth. However, a leader who mentors employees to develop their own problem-solving skills ensures that serving contributes to lasting development, allowing both the leader and the team to grow together.

3 Steps to Becoming Serving-Ready

1. Understanding Yourself
   Understanding yourself involves identifying your current state and context. When faced with tasks or issues, people often jump into problem-solving mode without analyzing the root cause. In leadership, you must assess your serving capacity and recognize the actual needs of those you wish to serve.
2. Setting a Goal
   Serving is not a transaction. Many expect returns when they invest effort in something or someone, but true service is about giving without expecting anything in return. To achieve this, redefine the joy of serving—does it come from the outcome, or from the process itself? If your desire to lead is not rooted in serving, there is a misalignment in leadership intent. Set clear goals before you serve and determine where real fulfillment comes from.
3. Intentions Determine the Outcome
   A pure heart is the foundation of authentic service. Many associate serving with action, but action without the right intention is merely task completion. Set an intention to genuinely add value and help others grow. When serving is done with the right heart, people feel it.

Servant Leadership

Ask yourself: Why do people follow you? Is it due to authority, obligation, credibility, or because they genuinely want to? Servant leadership combines serving and leadership—it means loving people wholeheartedly to the extent that they choose to stay with you even during difficult times. The emphasis in servant leadership is not on the leadership outcome but on the act of serving.

To be an effective servant leader, you must define the purpose of leading. Ask yourself: Why do you want to lead? Is it to gain authority, to make an impact, or to serve others? Reflecting on your leadership purpose will help you align your actions with meaningful service. Without a clear purpose, you cannot improve. Take a moment to identify your leadership motivations and assess whether they align with servant leadership principles. Without a clear purpose, you cannot improve. Many seek strategies to enhance leadership, but the key lies in prioritizing how to serve better. The better you serve, the stronger your leadership becomes.

Many leaders assume that leadership means solving problems when team members seek them out. However, good leaders initiate.

• Effective leaders initiate conversations that benefit the team.
• Visionary leaders initiate discussions about vision alignment.
• Caring leaders initiate actions that benefit others.
• Servant leaders prioritize relationships.

Leadership is about leading by example. So start serving. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ True leadership is not about titles or authority but about making a difference in people’s lives through genuine service. A great example of this is Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, who focused on serving employees first—providing healthcare benefits and growth opportunities, which in turn created a strong, service-driven company culture.