SLP Self Assessment
Thank you for completing the SLP Self assessment.
Below you will see your individual scores on each of the six disciplines of servant-minded leadership. You then will find an expanded description of each of the six disciplines and the 18 descriptor followed by reflection questions and action steps that can be considered to seek improvement in your servant leadership performance
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | Level 6 | |
Value People
Servant leadership requires a different view of others. People are to be valued and developed not used for the purposes of the leader. As a leader I accept the fact that people have present value not just future potential. People seem to have an innate ability to know whether or not they are being valued. Whether or not they are trusted. As a servant leader we accept a person’s value up front. We give them the gift of trust without requiring that they earn it first. As you work with people in organizations you will serve them if you display the qualities of Valuing People.
Put others before yourself. Focus on their needs and how you can best meet them.
Believe & Trust in peopleGive them your trust. Believe that they can do the job. Envision their potential. Look beyond the immediate externals to find the true value of another.
Listen receptivelyWhen we truly listen to another we will hear them if we listen non-judgmentally. We listen to learn … to understand. We listen because we know that it is one of the best ways to show that we value another.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do I value the people I lead, for who they are more than what they provide?
- Do I think of myself as a servant to those I lead?
- Think of a time when someone believed in you before you had proven yourself. What did this belief do in your life?
Actions to Take – Practicing your servant mindset:
- Write down the different ways that your workers bring value to the organization
- Speak into the life of one of your followers today. Share the potential you see for his or her life, work and leadership
- Today practice your listening skills (being present, making eye contact, asking good questions).
Develop People
As servants we view the performance of others differently. Part of my responsibility is to help people to grow towards their potential as servants and leaders. Therefore, I am looking to create a dynamic learning environment that encourages growth and development. As I interact with others I am conscious of what our team is learning together. The mistakes of others are considered as opportunities to learn. We know that people have both present value and future potential. As leaders, we are part of helping them to realize that potential. As you work with people within organizations you will serve them if you display the qualities of Developing People.
Offer people opportunities for new learning. Provide an atmosphere where mistakes can lead to new insights. Join them in learning.Model appropriate behavior
Don’t just tell others what to do. Model it for them and do it with them. We help people to develop by working alongside them so that they are able to learn from us … and with us.
Build up through affirmationEncourage others … honor others … accept others … build up others. Catch others doing it right. Recognize accomplishments and celebrate creativity. Use words … let them hear you say words of encouragement. Be intentional with your affirmation.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do I see my “highest priority” as developing the gifts and talents of those I lead?
- Do I model a learning mindset to my followers?
- How do I respond when I make a mistake? Do I seek to hide it or openly admit to it?
Actions to Take – Practicing your servant mindset:
- For each stated value of your company, list behaviors that will model these values before your workers.
- Consider focusing on one value each month and seeking to model that value through specific, and visible, action.
- Today write a note of encouragement to one (or more) of your workers.
Build Community
Servant leaders have a different way of looking at how people work together. They desire to build community, a sense that we are part of a loving, caring team with a shared goal to accomplish. We resist the tendency to “just get the job done.” We are as concerned with the relationships of the people doing the job as we are in the job itself. We know that people will be more impacted by the quality of relationships than they will be by the accomplishment of tasks, therefore we will intentionally work to build a community that works together and learns to serve one other in the process. As you work with people within organizations you will serve them if you display the qualities of Building Community.
People need the time and space to be together … to share, to listen, to reflect. They need to get to know one another. Don’t encourage lone-ranger success over team accomplishment. Encourage friendships to emerge.
Work collaborativelyDon’t allow the natural competitiveness between individuals to characterize the atmosphere of the group. We don’t want to “win” at the expense of the team. Work alongside your workers and other leaders to model this kind of work.
Value differencesRespect and celebrate differences in ethnicity, gender, age and culture. Be aware of your own prejudices and biases. Confront them so that no individual or group feels less valued by your dealings with them.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do I have strong and meaningful relationships with my team members?
- Am I willing to partner with those who I have disagreed with in the past?Do I tend to see those who are different as a threat or a valuable resource?
Actions to Take – Practicing your servant mindset:
- Evaluate your team on two factors: 1) getting results and 2) strong relationships. Are both growing stronger?
- Work alongside your employees on a task to assist them, learn about their work and show your support for what they do.
- Connect today with someone you have been avoiding. Just say hello, ask a question, make a connection. Perhaps a renewed working relationship can begin.
Display Authenticity
Servant leadership requires a different view of yourself as leader. You are to be open, real, approachable and accountable to others. You are not higher than others due to your position. In fact, position speaks to responsibility not value. As you work with people within your organization you will serve them if you display the qualities of Authenticity.
Resist the tendency to protect yourself at all cost. When you make mistakes … admit them. Recognize that you are accountable to others and not just those who are over you. A servant has nothing to prove and can fully risk being open with others.
Willing to LearnCome to other people in the role of a learner. As a servant you know that you have much to learn and each person can be your teacher. You don’t always know what is needed and what to do so you are willing to listen before making suggestions. Ask a lot of questions … and sincerely show interest in the answers.
Honesty & IntegrityRefuse to cut corners on the truth. When you make a promise do everything you can to fulfill it. People learn that they can trust what you say and that your actions fit your words.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do my followers know me? Do they feel that they can relate to me as a person as well as a leader?
- Am I honest with myself? Do I need to review my priority values and how well I am currently living up to them?
- Am I trustworthy? Do I believe others trust me and my leadership?
Actions to Take – Practicing your servant mindset:
- Ask your followers to hold you accountable for something you have agreed to do. Model through your actions your willingness to be accountable to others.
- Share with one other trusted person a struggle you are facing. Remember, a vice kept secret will control you. Be open and share this in an appropriate healthy way.
- Do an assessment of your team or organization to determine the levels of trust between leaders and followers.
Provide Leadership
A servant leader leads, for the good of those being led. Leadership is defined through a leader’s Initiative, Influence and Impact. The servant leader will not neglect to take appropriate action, in fact, leaders possess a bias for action. This initiative-taking comes not from being driven to personal ambition but by being called to serve the highest needs of others.
Leadership is future oriented. The leader looks ahead to envision what could be, and should be. Servant leaders recognize that they serve as partners with other leaders who also are looking ahead to the future. The servant leader shares their vision openly with the goal of creating a new shared vision with others.
Take initiativeLeadership takes action. It doesn’t hold back in order to protect the leader from making mistakes. The servant leader moves out in order to serve others … and to serve the agreed upon mission of the group.
Clarify goalsLeadership is clear on where it is going. The servant leader uses clear and open communication to point the direction that the group is committed to pursue. The leader encourages accountability to the goals set … for themselves and for others.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do I know where my team should be going in the future? Am I clearly communicating this vision to my team? (Vision)
- Am I acting boldly and appropriately myself toward the vision? Am I modeling the way forward? (Action)
- Is the team moving with me? Are we aligned and moving together? (Mobilization)
Actions to Take – Practicing your servant mindset:
- Determine a courageous act that you have been delaying. Act on it today.
- Create focus groups of your employees to collect their ideas and dreams for how the company can improve.
- Take action today. Consider a specific action you have delayed unnecessarily, and do it today
Share Leadership
Every leader has power and must continually make choices as to how that power will be used. The servant leader shares the power they have with others so that they can lead, thus increasing the potential influence and impact of leadership.
The vision of a group does not belong to a single leader. A clear vision of the future shared by the entire group becomes a powerful magnet drawing together all of the resources, skills and abilities of the team. Vision comes to leaders who see, and a shared vision occurs when our individual vision aligns towards an agreed upon future.
Share the powerPower is the ability to do … to act. In organizational terms it becomes the ability to make important decisions, allocate resources and moving forward to make things happen. Shared leadership empowers all people to act, for the good of the group and the mission of the organization.
Share the statusLeadership is not position, status or prestige. Servant leaders resist the tendency to accept the special perks and privileges of leadership position. They know that all people need to be affirmed and recognized for their inherent value and for what they contribute to the success of the team.
Questions for Reflection:
- How do I motivate my followers to work toward their highest performance?
- Do I allow others to lead? Or, do I always have to be in the #1 spot?
- When should I step back and encourage others to speak out and take the lead?
Actions to Take – Practicing your servant mindset:
- Consider inviting people to take on a certain task rather than demanding that they do so. Let them know why they are needed and why they are being asked to take this on.
- Walk through one day evaluating how you use your power and how you display your love. Evaluate your learning at the end of the day.
- Review the decision making grid for your organization – are the right people responsible for making the right decisions?