It's time for your annual performance review. You walk into your boss's office, sit down, and brace yourself for the litany of clichéd critics and uninspired attacking boys. You try to decipher the comments and pull out some actionable material, but grounding the theoretical assessment proves difficult. You leave the room with your intrinsic motivation weakened by the encounter.
Now imagine this:Instead of a performance review, your boss sits you down and asks you how she can improve, how the company can grow, and how the two can stay more true to their values. You are naturally full of ideas, so you take the opportunity to launch into new concepts that you keep in mind. You work with your boss to develop a business improvement plan and help him improve his performance. You leave the meeting motivated by the prospect of working with your boss to create something great.
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Every six months at Gravity Payments we conduct this type of review. We seek to overturn the boss-employee relationship and create an environment in which leaders exist to serve those around them. Historically, leadership has been about amassing power to function paternally at best and tyrannically at worst. The notion of servant leadership has since permeated the business world, but too often it is used only as a more effective way to gain authority, not as a way to truly serve.
True servant leadership is about giving without expecting to receive. This is not a gradual change; it's a complete paradigm shift.
True servant leadership is about giving without expecting to receive. This is not a gradual change; it is a complete paradigm shift. A lot of people struggle with this because they're used to being the ones with all the answers. Making that leap requires a certain level of vulnerability, but those who are able to challenge the status quo of leadership will reap the rewards.
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If you successfully transition into the Servant Leader role, you'll find that the surprises you receive are far more awesome and humbling than expected. When I made the decision to implement a minimum wage of $70,000 per year at Gravity Payments, I expected our business to take a financial hit. I took the risk and my team exceeded my expectations. Not only has our business accelerated, but a year after the policy was implemented, our team got together and bought me a Tesla as a thank you. Ask yourself:am I really working to serve the people around me or for personal gain? If the answer is personal gain, try starting the journey to servant leadership by asking to be held accountable, rather than the other way around.
COURTESY OF DAN PRICE
Follow these steps to become a servant leader :
Instead of spending your time setting your team's expectations, spend it identifying how you can support them.
Ask your team to monitor your actions rather than the other way around.
Ask for feedback rather than telling your team what to do.
Resist the urge to hoard power. Focus on giving.
Related: 7 ways to create a sense of family in the office
This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
