Many cultures around the world celebrate a type of Thanksgiving. We tend to think of it as an American holiday that dates back to the times of the pilgrims. However, most cultures give thanks for the fall harvest and that it will carry us through the cold winter months.

The nature of a servant leader is to be a developer, a listener, and a coach. However, in addition to those qualities and characteristics, there are some additional attributes that I believe are worth exploring.

The benefits of servant leadership are numerous, but I want to key in on one, in particular, engagement. When you look at a lot of the work that has been published about creating engagement or an engaged workforce, most items come back to the leader.

Seeing servant leadership in action or having examples of what it looks like is one of the best ways to further understand what servant leadership is. Leadership is driven from individuals, but when you build a culture of servant leadership,

Many people assume when they hear the term servant leadership that it must be a weaker form of being a leader. Unfortunately, leadership I soften misunderstood or used synonymously with ‘in charge.’

The idea and term of servant leadership is becoming more prevalent in discussions around styles and types of leaders. But many people may still not know what servant leadership really is. Over the course of the next several articles I am going to explore this subject and share my thoughts and insights into my own learning on this skillset of a leader.

Many people are afraid to start in one direction, only to find they need to go in another, so they stand still. “I better stay here for just a little longer while I get this completely resolved in my mind”, might be what they are saying to themselves. Just getting started is 80% of the battle.

Change management is a difficult thing. Asking people to do different things, some of which may feel uncomfortable in the sense that it is new or an activity they have never done before is one of the most challenging things a leader is asked to do. It can, however, be a rewarding and satisfying experience.

Every organization needs a way to identify and develop talent for the long-term. One of the best examples of how this works is in baseball. Professional baseball teams have development league teams, commonly referred to as ‘Farm Teams.’ These are teams that play at lower levels than what we know as the ‘Major League.’

A while back I wrote [Culture is What You Do, Not Something That You Create in a Day] pointing out that culture is always there, the summation of the behaviors of everyone in your organization. That is what defines your culture, not what you espouse it to be.

Motivation is perhaps one of the most significant outcomes a leader can create. Motivation is not a result; it is the creation of an environment that encourages others to be engaged.