The following contains excerpts from the book, Servant Leadership Roadmap (Cara Bramlett).
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, rather, it is relationships. A key component to relationships is the subject of Leadership. The following thoughts on servant leadership apply to those who desire to serve their community in music and the arts.
The author asserts twelve components, or competencies, of becoming a servant-leader: self-awareness, stewardship, motivation/persuasion, listening, empathy, acting with humility, culture of trust, mentoring, coaching, foresight, vision, continuous development.
Competency goes beyond words. It’s the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how – and know that they want to follow you. (John Maxwell)
Empathy
“Empathy is your ability to understand someone’s feelings. Developing empathy with the ability to manage your own emotions demonstrates emotional intelligence.”
“Empathy provides the ability to develop trust with your team. The trust will provide an avenue for the team to share concerns with you…Effective leaders take the time to understand and address individual’s concerns.”
“Developing empathy begins with active listening to an individual when they speak.”
We teach students at our music school in Odessa, Texas the value of understanding the community and audience they serve by learning to listen in order to serve them successfully.
Acting with Humility
Humility is not about thinking less of yourself; it is about thinking of yourself less. (Anonymous)
“It takes a strong person to act in humility and an even stronger leader to know one’s weakness. Acting with humility is the foundation of respect between the leader and the follower. It is the foundation of effective leadership.”
“It is letting go of your ego and putting others’ needs before your own…Humility leverages your skills of empathy to understand the needs and emotional positions of your team…Servant-leaders are humble and shift the focus to the team.”
Culture of Trust
Position and authority will give you followers, but trust will make you a leader. (Aubrey McGowan)
“Effective leadership evolves from the management of relationships. Through these relationships, your team will develop trust within your leadership. You will understand the motivation or drive of your team.”
“Leadership is the ability to lead others because they want to follow you, not because they have to follow you…The win and achievement of effective leadership are demonstrated when people choose to follow you for their reasons and not for yours.”
“As a leader, it is critical to be approachable…Honesty is one of the fundamentals of leadership success. Maintaining transparency and honesty are key to gaining trust…One of the most missed opportunities is to demonstrate your honesty through admitting your mistakes…You regain credibility by creating an action plan in response to the mistake.”
“The more time you devote to team members, the more they will crave your leadership. Take the time to mentor and professionally develop the individuals.”
“Trust must be earned from the team through one individual at a time. It is developed through fairness, objectivity, ownership, and setting others up for success.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we endeavor to establish a trusting relationship with our students, their families, and our community.
Mentoring
The key to being a good mentor is to help people become more of who they already are- not make them more like you. (Suze Orman)
“Mentors should have a genuine interest in your professional development. They should exhibit mindful listening skills and coach you on a path of solutions. The individual must retain your confidentiality and be committed to your success.”
Skill of a mentor: 1) Open-mindedness, 2) Mindful listening, 3) Inquisitiveness, 4) Honesty, 5) Self-awareness.
Coaching
“Typically, performance and skills enhancements are the primary reasons a manager would coach an individual. This is a type of coaching that focuses on core skills that are required to carry out tasks and handle work responsibilities effectively.”
Change-management coaching is implemented before a major change in the structure or work pattern within an organization.
Career coaching focuses on coaching the individual’s career interest. Career coaching assesses the individual’s career capabilities and helps him to adjust and improve his career output.
Personal life coaching focuses on people who are being coached on a very personal level. It explores their aspirations, needs, wishes, all they want to make of themselves, and all they need to make out of life.
Team facilitation coaching is with the purpose of enhancing output for a particular goal of an organization.
Shortage of talents – When an organization runs into the dilemma of a shortage of team members in manning special positions, it would be a cheaper and more cost-effective approach to coach the current team. This intervention would develop their skills and make them capable of manning whatever position is available.
When setting goals for the one being coached, use the SMART acronym:
Specific – what would you like to achieve?
Measurable – how will you know you are successful?
Achievable – what steps will you take?
Relevant – can you describe your perfect world?
Time-bound – when do you see yourself reaching your goal?
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we help students set SMART goals, as they learn the process of planning, preparation, and performance.
Foresight
- Lead with diversity – When you surround yourselves with diverse individuals, you develop a more well-rounded team.
- Active mindful listening – Are you hearing similar concerns from several team members?
- Read widely – Develop an industry understanding.
- Systematic approach – Consider the situation and leverage your foresight to determine the consequence of decisions.
- Predictions – Practice making predictions along with your team. Test the predictions against reality.
Four steps to problem-solving:
- Defining the problem or opportunity
- Outlining possible solutions
- Evaluation of each solution
- Implementation of a solution
“Decisions will either make or break a leader. Many times, failure as a leader is related to a single bad decision.”
Five steps to high-quality decisions:
- Situation analysis – What are the direct and indirect effects?
- Effects of the decision – What would the stakeholders think of your decision…The impact of every decision will be on the team and/or process.
- Moral compass – Every decision should be guided by your moral compass and your integrity.
- Cost-benefit analysis – Do the benefits of the decision outweigh the cost and risk?
- Plan B – Always have a backup plan.
Vision
“Strong vision conveyed through an effective leader is evidence of conviction. It demonstrates to the rest of the team the belief in the vision and resonates through the strategies.”
One of the most helpful ways we can help students in our music school in Odessa, Texas is to cast visions for them, based upon their unique strengths and giftedness, helping them objectively see what they are capable of achieving.
“It is important to keep in mind that evolution is critical to the sustainable growth of a company.”
How do you evolve or change a team? According to Dale Carnegie:
Consider the present state:
- Establish the motivation for change
- Analyze the situation
- Plan the direction
Now consider the future state:
- Implement the change
- Review and assess the impact of the change
- Modify and adjust as needed
Continuous Development
The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge. (Napoleon Hill)
“Leadership is a self-guided journey that requires continuous learning and professional growth…Every day in your role, you strive to improve the experience for your team and customers.”
“Your desire to learn and grow is what will ultimately distinguish you from your followers.”
At our music school in Odessa, Texas we teach students the important life-lesson of continual, daily, incremental progress. It is in this process that exponential growth can occur.
According to John Maxwell, there are four phases of growth:
- I don’t know what I don’t know
- I know what I don’t know
- I know and grow, and it starts to show
- I simply go because of what I know