The Harvard Business Review shared a compelling view entitled: Why the Military Produces Great Leaders that I encourage entrepreneurs and business leaders to consider embracing in their management philosophies and approaches.
Interestingly, the view is not that position and power should underpin your approach to managing and motivating employees, but rather the deeply held belief that “the best leadership…is borne as a conscientious obligation to serve.” This belief comes to fruition in business when executives and managers practice servant-leadership, the ability to inspire results by genuinely nurturing and protecting the people they lead.
Servant-leadership is by no means a new philosophy, and in fact, was developed in the late 1950s by Robert K. Greenleaf who is largely considered the founder of today’s servant-leadership movement. According to Greenleaf, “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served grow as persons: do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived?”
Others have followed in fostering this movement, including Larry Spears, who developed the Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders, which include: Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the Growth of People and Building Community.
The Harvard Business Review article echoes the military’s reliance on these characteristics as noted, “when serving in crisis conditions where leadership influences the physical well being or survival of both the leader and the led—in extremis contexts—transactional sources of motivation (e.g. pay, rewards, or threat of punishment) become insufficient. Why should a person be motivated by rewards when he might not live to enjoy them?…Soldiers in such circumstances must be led in ways that inspire, rather than require, trust and confidence When followers have trust and confidence in a charismatic leader, they are transformed into willing, rather than merely compliant, agents.”
So, I have to wonder, are business leaders embracing the opportunity to influence their employees by showcasing a genuine belief that they are there to serve the people that work for them? If military leaders can instill unwavering dedication in the absence of transactional motivation, what do business leaders need to do to inspire commitment beyond money and other material rewards?
Coach Kevin’s Challenge:
- How well do you know what motivates your employees? Write a list of motivations for each employee. Ask them if you don’t know.
- Do you put people first, or are your own personal and professional ambitions more important? Be honest with yourself.
- What three actions can you take now to put people first in your organization (transactional motivation is not an option in answering this question)?
