Page 32 - Harnessing the Strengths

From a Power to a Service Model ■ 15

or citizens, if things are going well, they are core. At the
bottom of it all, every company has a serving function. In
practice, however, that realization is rarely made. All too
often, entrepreneurs are at the center of their own world
and the universal value of service has been replaced with
shareholder value. As a result, corporations have in some
cases become isolated from the community and cut off from
their own roots.

Back to Basics

Servant-leadership is actually a reaction. This leadership
style consciously goes back to basics. That means more than
is maybe apparent at fi rst appearance. In this model, leaders
are not triggered by the search for money and power, but
rather by the question: “What do people need and what
can I do to make sure they get it?” In that light, the most
important job for leaders is to fi nd out what the needs of
the community are and to fulfi ll them. In some ways, you
can say that the power model is all about taking, while the
service model is about giving, which is a completely differ-
ent paradigm.
Working with this paradigm is only possible when peo-
ple are both capable and motivated, however. Therefore, in
addition to making sure the wishes of clients are satisfi ed, it
is important to pay attention to the needs of your employ-
ees. It is important to understand that work is about more
than just earning money—especially these days. People are
looking for meaning in their work, and they can only fi nd
this if they are given the chance to use their talents. And
that is precisely what servant-leaders do: they serve their
employees and, in the process, they serve their clients as
well. In the bigger view, they are also serving the world,