Change how you deal with people and get the best leadership out of them. Any time two or more people are gathered together for a purpose, an organization exists and there is an opportunity for leadership. There are many thousands in leadership positions today know that they are failing their people and desperately desire help in developing effective leadership skills. Many have long ago recognized that the old ways of leading through command-and-control and barking orders are largely ineffective when working with a diverse workforce. Excessive command-and-control styles create fear and undermine trust, which ultimately destroys relationships and growth. The good news is that the skills of servant leadership can be learned and applied by most people who have the will and intent to change, grow and improve.

Leadership and life are about people and relationships. In Fortune’s recent installment of the ‘100 best companies to work for,’ more than one-third, thirty-five-plus organizations, are involved in the servant-leadership movement. If you want results, stop telling employees what to do and, instead, ask them thought-provoking questions It gets people thinking for themselves about possibilities and, when they come up with their own answers, they are energized and excited about implementing them. Help People Think Better — Don't Tell Them What to Do. There are far too many ‘managers’ concerned about doing things the right way and looking good for their boss rather than striving to do the right thing for the people they lead. Becoming a servant leader requires a great deal of motivation, feedback, and extended practice, as does any worthwhile discipline. A tremendous amount of brain power is wasted every day because managers still think their job is to tell people what to do. But, in reality, workers know much more about the work they are doing than the boss does. Being told what to do can actually sap their motivation for the job. The problem is that, even if you do have a winning idea, the person still won't do it because the suggestion came from you. People invariably question and react negatively to ideas they didn't create. On the other hand, when people come up with an idea themselves, it creates positive feelings that make them want to take action. How to make that happen? People should be encouraged to focus their thinking by answering questions from their own experience. That will invariably make them come to a solution on their own Leadership is not management. Management is what we do. Leadership is who we are. Leadership is influencing people to contribute their hearts, minds, spirits, creativity, and excellence and to give their all for their team. The servant-first make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.

The good news is that human beings are bundles of habits. The bad news is that human beings are bundle of habits. Habits can be changed, and they can be changed for the better. We can choose to be something different than we are today. It is never too late to learn and grow. If you are too old or lazy to learn and grow, then you are too old or lazy to lead. The goal in developing our leadership skills is not to be perfect. The goal is continuous improvement. Rather, change and continuous improvement are about .ore or less. And better or worse.’ It is important to keep encouraging one another and cheering one another on so that people do not get discouraged and give up. The ultimate test of leadership is this: Are the people better off when they leave than when they got there? It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning.

Author : David Wee