How can you maintain and improve your servant leadership skills through ongoing assessment?

Servant leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on serving the needs, growth, and well-being of others, rather than exercising authority or power. Servant leaders aim to create a positive impact on their followers, organizations, and communities by being humble, empathetic, attentive, and supportive. However, servant leadership is not a static or fixed trait that one can simply acquire and maintain. It is a dynamic and ongoing process that requires constant reflection, feedback, and improvement. In this article, you will learn how to assess your servant leadership skills and how to use the results to enhance your performance and influence as a leader.

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1 Why assess your servant leadership skills?

Assessing your servant leadership skills is important for several reasons. First, it helps you to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a servant leader, and to recognize the areas where you need to develop or improve. Second, it enables you to measure your progress and effectiveness as a servant leader, and to track the changes and outcomes that result from your actions. Third, it provides you with valuable insights and feedback from others, such as your followers, peers, mentors, or coaches, who can offer you different perspectives and suggestions on how to improve your servant leadership skills. Fourth, it motivates you to set goals and action plans for your personal and professional growth as a servant leader, and to seek out opportunities and resources to enhance your skills and knowledge.

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Ben Lichtenwalner MBA

∇ Better Boss Builder ∇ Tech & Servant Leadership • Author • Consultant • Professional Speaker • DEIA & LGBTQ Ally
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Perception matters. You know your motivations and intent. Still, regardless of intent, stakeholders may perceive your words and actions in a different light. Independent, 360 and skip level assessments help reveal potential blind spots.

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2 How to assess your servant leadership skills?

Assessing your servant leadership skills can be done in various ways, depending on your preferences, needs, and objectives. Self-assessment is a popular method, which involves using a questionnaire, survey, or checklist to evaluate your skills based on a set of criteria or indicators. Resources such as the Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument (SLAI) and the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) can be used for this purpose. Peer assessment is another option, which involves asking colleagues to rate or review your servant leadership skills based on their observations and experiences. Follower assessment is another method which involves collecting data from followers to measure the impact and effectiveness of your skills. Lastly, mentor or coach assessment is an option that can help you develop and refine your servant leadership skills with guidance from a mentor or coach who has expertise in the field.

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3 How to use the results of your servant leadership skills assessment?

After assessing your servant leadership skills, it's essential to use the results to improve your performance and influence. Review and analyze the results, and look for patterns, trends, gaps, and discrepancies. Celebrate and appreciate your strengths, thank those who have provided feedback and insight, and share your successes with others. Identify and address any weaknesses, set goals to improve them, and seek feedback from mentors or coaches. Servant leadership is a continuous learning process, so repeat the assessment process regularly to update goals and action plans. By assessing and improving your servant leadership skills, you can become a more effective leader and create a positive impact on others.

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Ben Lichtenwalner MBA

∇ Better Boss Builder ∇ Tech & Servant Leadership • Author • Consultant • Professional Speaker • DEIA & LGBTQ Ally
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Be transparent and vulnerable with stakeholders! One of the core principles of servant leadership is Authenticity. Your assessment is a golden opportunity to practice vulnerable authenticity. Share the results of your assessments with the team. Let them know what you heard after reading the comments and taking time to reflect on them. Let your stakeholders know what you plan to work on first and how they can help you.

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4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Ben Lichtenwalner MBA

∇ Better Boss Builder ∇ Tech & Servant Leadership • Author • Consultant • Professional Speaker • DEIA & LGBTQ Ally
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Prebuilt and free assessments like the one above at Modern Servant Leader are a great start. When possible though, you should tailor your assessments to the unique vision, mission, and values of your organization.

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How can you maintain and improve your servant leadership skills through ongoing assessment?

1

2

3

4

1 Why assess your servant leadership skills?

2 How to assess your servant leadership skills?

3 How to use the results of your servant leadership skills assessment?

4 Here’s what else to consider

Servant Leadership

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How can you maintain and improve your servant leadership skills through ongoing assessment?

1

2

3

4

1 Why assess your servant leadership skills?

2 How to assess your servant leadership skills?

3 How to use the results of your servant leadership skills assessment?

4 Here’s what else to consider

Servant Leadership

Rate this article

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