The Manager as
Servant Leader
Getting the Right Results
for the Right Reasons
Dr. John A. Kline
Professor of Leadership
Troy University
www.klinespeak.com
john@klinespeak.com or jkline@troy.edu
L & M: Questionable Distinctions
• Leaders lead people; managers manage things
• Leaders work for change; managers work for stability
• Leaders focus on long-term; managers on short-term
• Leaders have a vision; managers have objectives
• Leaders appeal to the heart; managers to the head
• Leaders find new roads; mangers take existing roads
• Leaders—transformational; managers—transactional
– Transactional: reward/punishment; do what I tell you
– Transformational: inspires, motivates, encourages; often charismatic
(but not narcissistic); transforms people and the organization
• While I question these seven distinctions, I said this:
In a 2008 article for the Armed Forces
Comptroller called “Managing People
and Processes,” I wrote:
• “Leadership without management is
vision without fulfillment.” I also believe
• “Management without leadership often
yields stagnation and lost opportunities.”
Therefore, the point is this:
• Managers must also be leaders.
• The question is: What kind of leaders?
Great Leaders
• Inspire, motivate, encourage and promote
transformation of an organization and its people.
(Transformational Leadership)
• Find good people, give them responsibility, and
then help them succeed. (Shared Leadership)
• Serve others and the organizations to which they
belong. (Servant Leadership) Implies shared & transfor…
Please keep this point in mind: Leaders always bear
responsibility for what happens. None of the statements
above imply absence of a leader who bears ultimate
responsibility; no organization will succeed for any
length of time without one person at the top.
Overview of Servant Leadership
• Traits or Attributes
• Styles
• Focus
• Remember, the main idea today is:
The Manager as Servant Leader: Getting
the Right Results for the Right Reasons
Three Key Attributes
of Servant Leaders
”Great leaders are servant leaders because
it is the best way for them to serve
the organization and others.”
• Character—who you are
• Competency—what you can do
• Confidence—belief in yourself and your
ability to lead others
Character:
A list of some qualities
• Inspiring—confident; get best out of people
• Courageous—persevering to accomplish a goal
• Honest—sincerity, integrity, displaying candor
• Fair-minded—sensitive to well-being of others
• Forward Looking—having a vision for the future
• How would you rank these? 1 is top; 5 is last
Competency:
OPM’s Five Requisites to be an SES
“Manager”
• Lead change
• Lead people
• Business acumen
• Results driven
• Communicate/Build Coalitions
Confidence
Comes mainly from possessing
Character and Competence
• Exhibit Character—who you are and who you
seem to be; and they should be consistent
• Demonstrate Competence—know what you’re
talking about; and show it
• Think Strategically
Have the big picture
Have a plan
Set solid priorities
• Show You can Handle Adversity
• Look, Act & Feel Confident
Styles of Leadership—a test
Three Basic Styles of Leadership
• Authoritarian
• Participative
• Delegative
Authoritarian
• Leader tells what to do and how to do it
• Not simply bossing other people around
• Valuable if time is short, information is
known, and followers are motivated
• Effective if others recognize and respect your
authority; not effective if they don’t
• All leaders must be able to show authority
Participative
• Lets others participate in decision-making
• Effective if the leader has only part of the
information; followers have other information
• Promotes teamwork and sound decisions
• Leader still responsible for decisions
• Important point: The leader maintains final
authority and responsibility
Delegative
• Leader delegates specific responsibilities
• Delegates expected to make decisions
• Effective when leader trusts others and knows
they have necessary competencies
• Leader still responsible for decisions
• Important point: The leader maintains final
authority and responsibility
Important Points
The most effective leaders use all three styles
depending on the situation; that is, they use each
style at appropriate times
You can be a servant leader irrespective of the
style you use; in fact, servant leaders must be
able to use all three styles
Effective servant (sharing/transformational)
leaders focus on both the task and the people
doing it; and they avoid over-focusing on one or
the other — let’s talk about this
Task-focused Leaders
Basic assumptions
• People can’t or won’t direct their own behavior
• Individuals are often indifferent to group goals
Leaders often communicate this by
• Telling not only what to do but how to do it
• Controlling or discouraging open communication
Followers often respond by
• Performing to the leader’s “low” expectations
• Resisting responsibility; starting rumors; trying to
discover “company secrets”
People-focused Leadership
Basic assumptions
• People are intrinsically motivated and will assume
responsibility; people are basically good
• Conflicts/tensions must be reduced at all costs
Leaders often communicate this by
• Emphasizing individual needs over organizational ones
• Letting individual desires override task accomplishment
Followers often respond by
• Creating an appearance of harmony in the group or
organization while relieving conflicts elsewhere
• Showing dissatisfaction when leaders issue directives
Dual-focused Leadership
Basic assumptions
• Flexibility is important
• Individual and group needs should be consistent
Leaders communicate this by
• Demonstrating a willingness to adjust & be flexible
• Expecting a certain return for flexibility; task must be
accomplished
• Followers respond with
• Increased esteem for self and group; more open
communication
• Increased productivity while bringing individual
behavior in line with group objectives
So what can we conclude?
• Effective leaders show concern about both the task and
the people
• You need to know what style—authoritarian,
participative and delegative—fits you, the people you
lead and the situation
• You will be most effective if you possess strong
character, competence and confidence
• Great leaders are servant leaders because it is the best
way for them to serve the organization and others.
Characteristics
of Servant-Leaders
• Communicate:
vision; plan; why to follow
• Listen: for information; to understand people
• Implement change
• Mentor future leaders
• Motivate/Encourage others
• This is my list—it coincides with what others say and
it requires: Character, Competency and Confidence
The main idea: The Manager as Servant Leader:
Getting the Right Results for the Right Reasons
• Servant leadership is good.
• Self-centered, selfish, purely transactional
leadership may work in the short term; but it
simply won’t work over the long haul.
• Transformational, shared, servant-leadership
results in greater productivity and
worker/follower satisfaction.
• Therefore: Managers who are servant leaders
get the right results and they get them for the
right reason.
The Manager as
Servant Leader
Getting the Right Results
for the Right Reasons
Dr. John A. Kline
Professor of Leadership
Troy University
www.klinespeak.com
john@klinespeak.com or jkline@troy.edu