Participants in Hamilton Beazley’s presentation of “Servant Leadership: Principles in Action” at the ACC General Assembly event on January 13, 2005, posed the following questions.
Servant Leadership Interviewing Skills
You will witness leadership at its finest at all levels of a company during the magical phases of company culture and brand distinction. When you walk in, you notice people behaving in ways that other businesses are eager to imitate: smiling, trusting, debating, respecting, and contributing. Consumers feel it. It’s what newly hired employees pledge to build on and sustain for their offspring in order to inherit from their more seasoned counterparts. When people inquire about this in relation to New Belgium, I simply respond that almost everyone there has an contagious openness, optimism, and drive. It is a virtuous but delicious cycle, and the key is the leadership’s style, actions, and attitude.
Have they developed a system to support people in being productive, introducing innovative ideas and thinking while not impeding swift, effective company movement? Can you provide examples of team participation and decision-making? Do they care what people think? Are they clear about input, feedback, participation, influence, and decision-making boundaries?
The abdication of leadership. Leadership never abdicates leadership. You can distribute power, authority and create systems of participation. A leader’s constant focus is on putting talent, skills, and abilities to use in order to further the company’s vision and reach its objectives. To achieve their goals, leaders must mobilize their teams, bring them together around the organization’s values, and focus their efforts. This is NOT limited to the C-suite. At every level of the organization, all leaders should practice this. Leaders address the company’s fears and assist in guiding employees through them. They are transparent and weed out organizational schizophrenia, dishonest individuals, and circumstances Strong leaders have excellent social emotional intelligence and emotional control and are emotionally capable. Clarity of purpose is of utmost importance.
Strong leaders can easily switch between coaching, instructing, directing, and motivating both individuals and a team because they are adaptable. They are excellent at determining skill levels, abilities, and engagement before taking action to promote understanding and improvement right away. So that people can participate in problem-solving teams and recognize future organizational opportunities, strong leaders impart job skills, team engagement, and organizational citizenship. They are often open book leaders and perpetual mentors.
Strong leaders view leadership, power, and authority as a system that draws on the collective knowledge of the team and is a construct that people participate in rather than as actions done to people. Leadership activity is a social process of influence. It is a result of high-impact interactions and shared power and authority, and it is distributed appropriately by leaders who share leadership among their team. They identify their strengths and put them to use on projects, tasks, and other work that needs to be done well. Leaders recognize that people are an asset to the company and strive to make the most of that asset for both the individual and the business. Strong leaders are adept at knowing when to take the backseat and let others take the initiative. Strong leaders can also be strong followers.
Interview Question #1: “Do you know the company’s mission?”
This question ought to be straightforward because candidates are taught to research the company. They don’t have to recite the mission verbatim, just demonstrate that they understand it. The interviewer should focus more on demonstrating enthusiasm, comprehension, and alignment with this mission. The likelihood is that the candidate has simply memorized it and does not truly know (understand) the mission if they recite it word-for-word with little intonation or enthusiasm.
Potential Variations:
What Makes A Good Response: The applicant is aware of the mission, shows interest in it, and elaborates on why it excites them.
What A Poor Response Looks Like: The applicant is either unaware of the mission or has simply memorized it.
Interview Question #2: “Do you understand the supporting data regarding this mission, and do you understand it as a compelling need to change?”
The majority of non-profit organizations (the focus of De Pree’s book) have a clear definition of the evidence supporting their mission. Although it happens less frequently in the for-profit sector, I think this is a weakness of the for-profit sector. However, there are some variations that might work for other organizations (see below). Whatever question you choose to pose, it is essential that a candidate be able to discuss the evidence supporting your mission. In the event that they lack quantifiable data, they should instead have a personal story or connection that allows them to convey their own sense of urgency.
Possible Variations:
What a Good Answer Should Look Like: The candidate’s understanding of the mission is supported by some quantifiable metrics. If they lack quantifiable metrics, they can still share a story, preferably a personal one. They ought to demonstrate a capacity for empathizing with the mission.
What a Poor Response Looks Like: If the applicant speaks in generalities and provides no concrete examples, either quantitative or not, to demonstrate their comprehension of the mission and the reasons why it is your mission.
Principle #6 says âServant leaders lead by example, modeling & persuasion rather than by coercion.âWhy is it that any Dept. Head that does not want to undergo Servant-Leadership âTrainingâ will be asked to resign their position as Dept. Head? Is that not coercion?
Supervisors do not operate within a vacuum. It is reasonable to anticipate that they will work as a team. It actually indicates a need for training, whether it be Servant-Leadership or another program, if a department head does not see a connection to the management and leadership of the college.
FAQ
What are the 5 characteristics of servant leadership?
- Valuing People. People are valued by servant leaders for who they are, not just what they contribute to the organization.
- Humility. Servant leaders prioritize others over themselves and do not promote themselves.
- Listening. …
- Trust. …
- Caring.
How do you show servant leadership?
The benefits of servant leadership include acknowledging others’ viewpoints, providing them with the assistance they need to achieve their professional and personal goals, including them in decision-making when appropriate, and creating a sense of community within your team.
What are the four main principles of servant leadership?
- Encourage diversity of thought.
- Create a culture of trust.
- Have an unselfish mindset.
- Foster leadership in others.
What are questions about servant leadership?
- How aware am I today of my desire or lack thereof to serve others?
- What fuels that desire?
- How well do I listen?
- Do I blow by others in a rush?
- Do I pretend to be superior to others or put on an act?
- Do I seem aloof?
