7 Servant Leadership Traits

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy founded on serving others before yourself. It also involves a high self-awareness so that you don't get lost in your own biases and emotions while making decisions. Leaders with strong servant leadership traits also show empathy toward others. This is a crucial component of being a good leader.

Empathy is a skill that allows you to "put yourself in someone else's shoes" and understand how they are feeling. This can help you build strong relationships with others. A person with high empathy scores can connect with others and help them in times of need. They can also handle difficult emotions more effectively, helping others struggling with mental health.

Empowerment is the ability to access personal or collective power, authority and influence. It also allows people to engage with the world with strength and confidence rather than weakness and fear. Embraced by successful organizations, empowerment is a key factor in building employee commitment and loyalty. However, it takes time and requires careful planning over the long haul.

When it comes to business, empowerment is a key part of creating strong teams and effective management. This means giving employees the information they need to understand their roles and the company's mission and goals and making sure that messaging is clear and consistent.

Commitment is the ability to stick to a commitment or goal no matter how hard it gets. It's an essential trait for leaders—many kinds of commitments, including large ones like marriage or a job. But there are also small ones, like staying after school for a study group or saving money instead of spending it on things you don't need

Humility is a leader's ability to put others first without self-serving ambition or vain conceit. It's a key servant leadership trait that can help you build better relationships with your team and drive results across the board. Researchers have found that humble leaders are likelier to listen to employees' ideas and take them seriously. This allows them to develop innovative solutions and a more collaborative workplace.

Listening is a skill that's highly valued in the workplace. It can help you understand tasks and projects, build strong relationships with coworkers, negotiate more effectively, and resolve misunderstandings. Active listening involves focusing on the words, tone, and body language that others use during a conversation. It also involves taking notes, noticing the intent behind what they say, and offering feedback when necessary.

Compassion is the emotional response to suffering and involves an authentic desire to help. It is a powerful coping mechanism that can help alleviate stress. It also promotes health benefits, including increased immunity and prosocial behaviors. It can be developed through compassion training and is an important trait for servant leaders to embrace.

A critical first step in developing a psychometrically-robust measure of compassion is to empirically investigate the underlying structure of the five elements of compassion. To do so, the current study conducted three stages: Stage 1 involved a systematic consultation with expert groups to review items from existing self-report measures of compassion and generate additional items.

Confidence is the belief that you can perform a task or a job well. It may be based on prior experience or a particular set of skills. People with high confidence believe they can achieve their goals and feel a sense of control over their lives. They may also have less anxiety and self-doubt than those with low confidence levels.