Staying Connected With Your Team in Challenging Seasons

Add this style to your leadership toolkit to effortlessly build trust, camaraderie, and drive organizational success amidst projected economic challenges.

Are you struggling to keep your team engaged? Has company culture taken a nosedive recently? Are you challenged with supporting burnt-out employees while you are trying to overcome the occupational phenomenon yourself?

As the workforce continues to evolve, with many companies opting for a future of work that is 100% remote and others adopting an in-office or hybrid model, leaders of many organizations are still trying to bridge cultural gaps where years of lockdowns, social distancing, and company shutdowns contributed to employees’ feelings of isolation and burnout at work. Building a culture of trust, camaraderie, and connection has never been more important for any forward-thinking company.

With economic uncertainty continuing to be a gray cloud in the forecast, keeping teams engaged and productive with a renewed sense of purpose—all while demands from the top continue to grow and add pressure to your own workload—becomes an even bigger challenge.

But leaders who adopt a specific leadership style may have the competitive edge and have other departments asking questions like, “Why is your team so happy?” or “How did your department outshine everyone else last quarter?” or maybe even, “What’s your secret?”

That leadership style is called servant leadership. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Servant Leadership?

Servant leadership is a highly effective type of leadership style that focuses first and foremost on serving others rather than adopting a hierarchical leadership mentality driven by accruing power, titles, or wealth. The servant leader is exemplified by a desire to put the needs of others first and will happily roll up their own sleeves to help a team member faced with a challenge.

This leadership style is highly effective because servant leaders are both servants and leaders. They are driven by their passion to serve but still possess the multi-dimensional leadership skills and competencies needed to drive company success.

So how can a leader put servant leadership into practice? While there are a few modern examples of CEOs who used servant leadership to turn the tide during arduous seasons, here are some practical ways to employ servant leadership in your own career.

Servant leaders respond to problems by listening.

Did you know only a very minuscule percentage of communication is verbal? That means most of what’s being said is not being said aloud. Servant leaders recognize the value of listening attentively—not only to respond or to delegate, but to fully grasp and approach the problem with all data in hand.

Servant leaders are innately empathetic.

Servant leaders are often more accepting and inclusive than their authoritarian counterparts, making them leaders people want to work for and follow. Because of their ability to empathize and understand others, they are better able to authentically connect and build trust with their teams. Their natural ability to genuinely forge bonds with their teams helps them to stay engaged (even between meetings) and contributes to positive company culture—both non-negotiables for many job seekers.

Servant leaders are perceptive and self-aware.

One of the biggest ways servant leaders bring value to an organization is by demonstrating the self-awareness needed to thoroughly understand their role and purpose as a leader. When a leader can understand the direct role they play for the organization, they are better able to articulate their team’s vision and purpose within the organization. When employees feel a sense of purpose about the work they do day in and day out, they work harder and are happier and healthier. Conversely, losing sight of their purpose within the company is a significant driver of employee burnout.

Servant leaders leverage strengths to improve performance.

By making an effort to identify and develop your teams’ individual strengths, you can directly drive business performance. In fact, Harvard Business Review showed that developing employees’ strengths boosts sales, profit, and engagement. In the article, one company prominently displayed each employee’s top five strengths in their office or cubicle — influencing all employees to keep each other’s natural talents top of mind. Servant leaders are mindful of the strengths on their team and leverage them intentionally on projects best suited for them. Moreover, performance reviews provide the opportunity for leaders to avoid a “check-the-box” mentality and instead show a renewed interest in the development of their employees’ strengths.

The Benefits of Servant Leadership

Research has shown that servant-led companies are more likely to outshine competitors, have lower employee turnover rates, and develop future leaders. Further, servant leaders recognize and have an intrinsic ability to mentor other future leaders. Their ability to genuinely connect and promote camaraderie comes from their approach to leadership as something they do with—not just for—their team.

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RC3 Partners stands at the intersection of Executive Search and Leadership Development. Our mission is to elevate organizations by aligning them with leaders who don't just fill roles but redefine them. Contact us today to learn more.