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Four Steps to Greater Servant Leadership
 Imagine your team members happy, dedicated and passionate about their jobs. They can't wait to get to work in the morning and are always striving to do their best. It's the perfect scenario, but, unfortunately, only possible if you have a budget the size of Texas, right?
Actually, no! Being able to have a dream team working right alongside you is highly achievable, and it all begins with a simple concept that is thousands of years old. Servant leadership has been practiced in churches for many, many years. In fact, references to putting the needs of others before your own are mentioned throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
It can work for your business, too, no matter your size. Dave and his leaders have been practicing it for years, and he credits it for much of the success of his business. To get you started on your own journey to servant leadership, we've listed a few of the principles that you can put in place today. Give them a try! They're not complicated, time-consuming or expensive.
1. Follow the Golden Rule
Servant leadership is as simple as following the golden rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:31). Handle all interactions with your team by putting yourself in their shoes, and then act the way you'd want to be treated. When you would expect to be praised, praise. When there's a problem you would expect help with, lend a hand.
2. Act With Grace
The best way to handle any negative situation is to act with grace. For example, if you have to reprimand a team member, never embarrass them. Talk to the person privately and promptly, and always remember how you would feel if you were being admonished.
3. Give Praise
For the majority of your team members, money isn't the chief motivator; they just want a sense of accomplishment for a job well done. People, no matter what age, yearn for approval, and the best way to make them feel appreciated is sincere praise. So make sure you are always on the lookout for people doing something right instead of focusing on mistakes or failure, and be sure to let the team member know they are doing a good job. Don't be stingy with your praise. The person who helps a fellow worker in time of need deserves as much gratitude as your superstar salesperson.
4. Treat Them With Dignity
People also have the need to be treated with dignity. At Dave's office, there are no time-clock-punchers. He believes there is no dignity in doing just enough work to collect a check. Make it clear that your team members' work is important to you and your company. It allows them to buy into your dream and work with passion.
By serving your team members with respect, dignity and a caring heart, success will naturally follow, and you'll become a true EntreLeader. It's the best way to grow your business. In fact, in the long run, it's the only way. Just ask Dave!
Want more advice from Dave on servant leadership? Download our latest podcast from iTunes to hear Dave's servant leadership lesson plus an interview with Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy on the same subject.
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Jack Galloway
VP Strategic Alliances
Over the last 11 years, one of the most significant elements of servant leadership that I've learned is letting my team members know I've got their backs. I will fight for them when the time comes. Even when one of my leaders has made a costly mistake, it's important for them to know that I will share the responsibility when discussing the issue with other leaders or team members.
One-minute reprimands can be saved for private conversations. In public, we are unified in good times and bad. Knowing you have a leader who won't disappear when things go off-track builds a trust and admiration that other characteristics cannot. The same thing could be said of friendship. You simply have more trust for the friends who will help you fight your way out of sticky situations.
For me, it's simple. Sometimes leadership means throwing yourself in front of the train if only to slow it down before it runs over someone on your team.
About Jack
Jack started the Endorsed Local Provider (ELP) program for Dave 11 years ago and still leads it today. His team has grown to 30 people who work day in and day out to give Dave's fans and ELPs a great experience. The ELP team refers approximately 20,000 Dave Ramsey fans to ELPs each month.
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