Servant Leadership

Note-Taking Guide
Presented by IMA Leadership Academy

OBJECTIVES
After this session, you will be able to:

Define Servant Leadership.

List the characteristics of a Servant Leader.

Identify the advantages and disadvantages of a Servant Leadership culture.

Identify the barriers to a Servant Leadership culture.

Provide examples of Servant Leadership practice in the business community.

Consider applications of Servant Leadership principles.

REFLECTION
What is your experience with Servant Leadership?

What do you hope to get out of this workshop?

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

THE SERVANT LEADER

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
Empower and develop people
Show humility
Be authentic
Accept people for who they are
Provide direction
Demonstrate good stewardship
Check the key characteristics that you see in your organization and circle those you see in yourself.
MOTIVATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Motivated to lead and serve at the same time
Honesty, fairness, integrity, and justice are internalized
Motivated to have a positive impact on the organization to help and care for others
Focused on the gifts and talents of followers
Check the motivational characteristics that you see in your organization and circle those you see in
yourself.
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS
Are self-directed
Have a moral compass
See the big picture and how individuals fit into it
Check the individual characteristics that you see in individuals in your organization and circle those
you see in yourself.

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

INFLUENCE OF COMPANY CULTURE

Two dimensions:
1.

2.

INFLUENCE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE

1.

2.

3.

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

OUTCOMES
For Followers

For the Organization

People are the heart and spirit of all that counts.

--Max DePree, author and founder of Herman Miller Office Furniture
Being a leader changes everything. Before you are a leader, success is all about you. Nothing you
do anymore as an individual matters except how you nurture and support your team and help its
members increase their self-confidence. Put another way: Your success as a leader will come not
from what you do but from the reflected glory of your team.
--Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT
How ready is your organization for servant leadership? For each item listed, place a check under the
column that currently describes your organization.

Item

Some signs /
Strong signs
In
development

No signs

Individuals are rewarded for being fair, altruistic,

trustworthy, generous, and kind.
Decision-making is less centralized.
Authority is based less on rank than on contribution.
People are well informed about the organizations
strategy.
People are asked to apply their best judgment.
Community building and Interpersonal bonding are
valued.
Community building is a true focus.
Interpersonal trust is valued, expected, and required.
The judgment of the leaders is trustworthy at all
times.
Leaders ethics are above reproach.
Employees are happier, healthier, and more
balanced in their human relationships.
Employees are engaged and empowered.
Employees are dedicated to the success of the
organization.
The balance between self-interest and the interest of
others is kept level.
Team members hold themselves accountable.
Team members honestly self-evaluate.
Team members collaborate and communicate.
The organization is a great place to work.

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

Item

Some signs /
Strong signs
In
development

No signs

The organization builds strong relationships with all

stakeholders.
The organization makes strong contributions to the
community.
The workforce is loyal and intelligently productive.
Overall, your organization
already demonstrates servant leadership.
is ready for servant leadership.
has a long way to go to implement servant leadership.
What are some areas that your organization should focus on in order to develop servant leadership?

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

SERVANT LEADER ORGANIZATIONS

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
How does Southwest Airlines express servant leadership?

WALMART
How does Walmart express servant leadership?

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES

A
D
V
A
N
T
A
G
E
S

Servant Leadership Webinar Note-Taking Guide

D
I
S
A
D
V
A
N
T
A
G
E
S

TALKING POINTS: ADVOCATE A SERVANT LEADER

CULTURE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
What would be the specific advantages of a Servant Leader culture within your organization?

What are the specific disadvantages?

How could you manage or diffuse the disadvantages?

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SERVANT LEADER PRINCIPLES

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YOU AND SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Take a few minutes to analyze the reactions to servant leadership on each of the four components
below.
How do I see servant leadership?

How would my team react to me as a servant

leader?

How might it benefit me?

How might it benefit them?

How might my boss and his supervisors react to

me as a servant leader?

How might my colleagues react to me as a

servant leader?

How might it benefit them?

How might it benefit them?

What is the major thing holding you back from being a Servant Leader? What can you do about it?

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ACTION PLANNING
List the top

benefits your organization could potentially realize from Servant Leadership.

Identify
people in your organization that could be champions of a movement toward Servant
Leadership.

What
thing are you going to do TOMORROW to move towards being a servant leader or to be a
better servant leader?

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IMA gratefully acknowledges the efforts of IMA staff, consultants, and volunteers that contributed to
the development of this program.

Lee S. Bertrand; Dean, IMA Leadership Academy - Primary Author

Bobbe Barnes, CPA, CMA, CGFM; Managing Director, Acumen Global Training, LLC
C. S. Bud Kulesza; Dean Emeritus, IMA Leadership Academy
Adam Larson; Product Support Specialist, IMA
Dee Parker; Chief Learning Officer, Ignite It Group

Presentation produced by: Ignite It Group (www.igniteitgroup.com)

CONTACT US
For more information about this or other programs, please contact IMA.
www.imanet.org
10 Paragon Drive, Suite 1, Montvale, New Jersey 07645-1760
US (800) 638-4427 or International +1 (201) 573-9000

NOTICE
Images contained in these materials are licensed for the sole purpose of this workshop from
Shutterstock under agreement with Ignite it Group. These images cannot be used in other materials
without an additional licensing agreement.

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