Front-Line Leadership

CHAPTER 6Service‐Based Leadership

Simply put, service‐based leadership is being able to meet the needs of others. It's a philosophy of leading others by serving them. When we meet the needs of others, we help create a culture focused on collaboration with individuals feeling empowered and more engaged, compared to when we lead with a more authoritative approach. There is a plethora of books and research on the topic that highlight many of the benefits of this approach to leadership, including happier employees, reduced turnover, better organizational performance, and more innovation and creativity.

As in the other chapters, I am going to be sharing some stories from my own experiences and from people who have impacted my life. But before we dive in, I want you to take a minute to think of someone who has had a big impact on your life. What specifically has that person done to influence who you are and how you show up as a leader? I would venture to say that the majority of you did not think of your boss. There's nothing wrong if you did—you just might be one of the fortunate few who's had an amazing boss—it's just that in my experience of asking this question, very few have said it was someone who was their boss. Often people will say it was a parent, a teacher, a coach, or maybe even a friend's parent who had the biggest impact on their lives. I was fortunate to find one of these people among my platoon leaders on my first deployment to Afghanistan.

Willingness to Learn ...