In the past, the boss was the boss because he knew everything and told everyone what to do. He commanded his direct subordinates, who in turn passed it on to their subordinates, and so it went on. At the bottom of the hierarchy, there could have been a machine to do what was specified at the top. What a waste of human potential!
As soon as problems arose, the process ran in reverse, from the bottom up. Then the boss at the top, far removed from the action, made a decision and the chain of command was set in motion again. Even today, some medium-sized companies in Germany still operate in this way—with almost everything passing across the patriarch's desk. Being the boss here means having power over people. Some bosses know their company so well that this can work for a long time. However, this means we are training employees who do not responsibility and are therefore unable to cope with the increasing complexity of the business world.
Leadership is not about power over, it's about power through. (John C. Turner)
Turner sums it up nicely in English. So we should generate power through the people who work with us. But how does that work?
As value-oriented leader , we leader understand what our people need in order to successfully carry out their tasks themselves. Complexity has become so great that we must give people the freedom to assess the situation themselves. In short, we must give them autonomy. This will ultimately enable them responsibility . However, no one can perfectly assess everything in the larger context, which is why we also need effective cooperation. Everyone must disconnect from their ideal "isolated solution" and obviously serve more than just themselves. Yves Morieux has proven in his book "Six Simple Rules: How to Manage Complexity without Getting Complicated" that autonomy AND cooperation lead to greater performance AND motivation.
What does this have to do with serving?
Here, the three question words who, what, and why come into play, which, according to Robert S. Hartman, represent the three value dimensions: human, practical, and systemic.
Who do we serve? As already noted, it should not be the employees who serve the managers, but the other way around. From the CEO at the top to middle management to the leader who is only responsible for employees, the supervisor should always serve the function below them. This means that he or she should provide everything that is useful and give all the necessary support so that the employee can perform their tasks in the best possible way. This also includes giving them the appropriate freedom. But we must also serve ourselves. As leader , we are leader responsible for making the best possible contribution. We must be authentic, serve as role models, and develop leadership charisma so that employees feel connected to the bigger picture. This aspect is also central to the so-called transformational leadership style, which is now the most researched leadership methodology and clearly states that it produces better results.
What do we serve? We serve our tasks, processes, products, and services. Every company has an output—the "what." Being dedicated to the task at hand and not losing sight of the concrete result is worth serving.
And what are we ultimately serving? The importance of the company's mission is of central importance here. The higher purpose of the company can only be achieved if sufficiently trained people come together and work passionately on it. Ultimately, every enterprise solves some kind of problem. Doing this successfully and developing a passion for this mission is crucial to developing inner consistency in leadership. It is very rewarding to serve a mission that is greater than I can be as an individual.
The feeling of humility makes it easier for us to accept a serving role. Successfully serving others, a cause, or a higher purpose creates a wonderful feeling within us. Vanity, on the other hand, is the enemy of servant leadership and ultimately does not enrich us, but rather makes us snobbish, arrogant, and ultimately even hollow as people.
Yours, Uli Vogel
Image source: ©O12 Pixabay
