Picture this: It's your annual performance review. You enter your boss's office, steeling yourself for clichéd critiques and uninspired feedback. Extracting actionable insights feels impossible, and you leave demotivated, intrinsic drive diminished.
Now envision the opposite: Your boss sits you down and asks how she can improve, how the company can grow, and how to better align with core values. Ideas flow freely. Together, you craft a business improvement plan and enhance her leadership. You exit energized, committed to building something extraordinary.
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At Gravity Payments, we conduct these 'servant leader reviews' every six months. We flip the traditional boss-employee dynamic, fostering an environment where leaders serve their teams. Historically, leadership meant hoarding power—paternalistic at best, tyrannical at worst. Servant leadership has gained traction, but it's often co-opted for personal gain rather than genuine service.
True servant leadership means giving without expectation of return. It's a radical paradigm shift, demanding vulnerability. Leaders accustomed to having all the answers must let go. Those who do unlock profound rewards.
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When I, Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments, set a $70,000 minimum wage, I braced for financial fallout. Instead, our business surged. A year later, my team surprised me with a Tesla as thanks. Ask yourself: Am I serving others or seeking personal gain? Start by seeking accountability, not demanding it.
Courtesy of Dan Price
Follow these 4 steps to embrace servant leadership:
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This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
