We need an Encounter with Servant Leadership to Change our Character

Character is the building block of individuals and yet, when it comes to choosing people for leadership positions, organisations have given far more importance to skills and abilities than character. This has resulted in some disastrous situations in businesses. Cases of Enron[1] or Satyam Infotech[2] or Peanut Corporation of America[3] or The Volkswagen Diesel gate scandal[4] have been in the headlines at different time of business history. Legislations were passed after the Enron Scandal to prevent such corporate frauds. The Sarbanes Oxley Act[5] was one of them. But have the legislations really succeeded in removing the root cause of the problem? The answer is No.

Unless Character becomes a key attribute that one looks for in building leadership pipeline or leadership hiring, such instances will continue to happen and unscrupulous leaders will exploit the loopholes in the system. Leaders and organisations will be able to rationalise their decisions and action, and the stakeholders will continue to suffer.

This is why we need a new encounter with a leadership philosophy that places Character as one of the key attributes of Leadership. Fortunately for us, Servant Leadership places enormous importance on Character. The 3-7-10 framework that Leadyne Organisation Builders use for developing Servant Leaders include Character as one of the three leadership imperatives.

Servant Leaders place high importance on Behaving Ethically ( one of the measurable behaviours under the DEEP BHC Framework described in an earlier blog). This further builds on having a high level of Awareness and an understanding of Stewardship, an attribute that teaches leaders that they are not owners of anything, but stewards of the resources, talents, organisation and people put under their charge. When Leaders start looking at their positions and possessions through the lens of Stewardship, their mindset will change from one of pride to one of humility.

Illustrative picture for Heartstyles Assessment — Picture Courtesy Heartsyles.com. Copy Right of Heart Brands IP PTY Ltd

The problem is that many leaders do not realise that they have pride issues. This is where an assessment like Heartstyles assessment [6] comes in really handy. The organisations under the Yum Brand (Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bells etc.) have used this tool effectively to bring in transformation in their leadership mindsets.

Another key Character related behaviour that the DEEP BHC framework promotes is Emotional Healing, based on a greater understanding of Grace and Forgiveness. This behaviour strengthens the character of a leader to one that works for the good of all stakeholders rather than personal gains for the leader himself/ herself. I had discussed this behaviour in an earlier blog.

Let us build leaders with impeccable character. Let us build Servant Leaders!!

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Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD is the Servant Leadership Evangelist at Leadyne. You can connect with him here or contact him here.