People First: The Enduring Power of Servant Leadership

Cultivating great leaders is more important than ever given the ongoing labor shortage — employees with empathetic managers are more likely to remain loyal to their organization. As such, organizations are prioritizing the development of managers who can lead with empathy and purpose. In fact, leadership   and manager development has emerged as the No. 1 HR priority for 2025 among CHROs, ahead of even recruiting and total rewards, according to SHRM’s CHRO Priorities and Perspectives report.  

Many executives are prioritizing programs that help their emerging leaders put an emphasis on a people-centric approach to leadership, cultivating soft skills such as empathy, active listening, and emotional intelligence to drive team performance.  

One people-centric leadership approach that is gaining traction is “servant leadership.” The term, coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in the 1970s, reflects a drive to lead through service and emphasizes altruism. Managers show a servant leadership mindset when they focus primarily on the well-being and empowerment of their collective employees, as opposed to viewing their personal leadership as an independent act. The goal is to create an inclusive environment that allows everyone in an organization to thrive as their authentic self. This leadership approach can assist in fostering trust, accountability, growth, and inclusion in the workplace if it is implemented appropriately.  

“In the current environment of instability in the business world, employees respond to leaders who possess the ability to maintain their focus on the most important priority — people. By definition, servant leaders navigate disruption and challenge better than others simply because of their tendency to lead collaboratively instead of leading independently,” said Jim Link, CHRO at SHRM. Researchers and scholars have expanded on Greenleaf’s work to identify key characteristics of servant leaders, including integrity, empathy, strong communication, and collaboration.

Servant Leadership Model       

For leaders like Gerry Goldberg, division president of Focus Partners Wealth, the benefits of putting others first are both personal and professional. As he put it: “ The irony  associated with embracing this mindset is that when you stop thinking of yourself and instead focus on the needs of others, you get so much in return,”.  

Goldberg emphasized that he works to instill the “we over me” mindset and embrace the servant leadership approach in his organization.  

“For me, servant leadership means creating an inclusive, people-centric workplace where employees feel safe to speak up, knowing their voices matter. My role as a leader is to serve others so that they can become the best version of themselves, thriving not only professionally but also feeling supported on a personal level,” said Jinah Chernivec, CHRO and chief risk officer at Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota. “It’s about focusing on long-term relationships rather than short-term results.”

Below are practical models   developed by researchers and scholars that provide more clarity on the characteristics of servant leadership. These models help define what servant leadership should look like in action:

• Spears’ 10 Characteristics: Larry Spears, former president of the Greenleaf Center, distilled servant leadership into empathy, active listening, healing, self-awareness, persuasion, big-picture thinking, foresight, stewardship, a commitment to helping others grow, and fostering a sense of community.  

• Barbuto and Wheeler’s Five Dimensions: Building on Spears’ work, researchers John Barbuto and Daniel Wheeler identified the dimensions of altruistic calling, emotional healing, wisdom, persuasive mapping, and organizational stewardship. Each dimension is supported by multiple specific traits, as outlined in their structured framework.  

• Iarocci’s Workplace Model: Author Joe Iarocci offered a practical workplace-focused approach to servant leadership based on three priorities (developing people, building trust within teams, and achieving results) and three guiding principles (serve first, persuade rather than command, and empower others). Additionally, Iarocci identified three key behaviors: listening, delegating, and aligning people with purpose.  

• Russell and Stone’s Functional Attributes: Researchers Robert F. Russell and A. Gregory  Stone outlined nine functional attributes of servant leadership: vision, trust, service, honesty, integrity, trust, modeling, pioneering, appreciation of others, and empowerment. They also identified 11 supporting traits, such as communication, credibility, stewardship, and encouragement, that complement and strengthen a servant leader’s effectiveness.

Servant Leadership Challenges     

Adopting a servant leadership model doesn’t come without obstacles. It can sometimes cause leaders to feel misunderstood, discouraged, and burned out. Here are some ways that these issues can show up in the workplace.

Challenge 1: Employees Feeling Abandoned   

Sometimes, when leaders entrust their employees with projects and delegate full responsibility, employees may feel abandoned and overwhelmed by the weight of the task. Whether a project handoff works often comes down to the leader’s ability to communicate.  

When serving as chief transformation officer at Aroundhome, Steffen Heilmann, who practices a servant leadership style, noted a miscommunication when he handed off a database negotiation to his head of operations. Heilmann viewed this as a moment of empowerment for his team, but they saw it as a burden. Through clarifying intentions and offering support, the issue was resolved.  

Challenge 2: Following Employees’ Preferences Without Boundaries   

Under the servant leadership model, it may be tempting to follow employees’ preferences when delegating tasks. However, interests don’t always align with capability. As a leader, it’s up to you to know where to draw the line so that you’re listening to your employees and keeping them happy while also driving business goals. Truly consider whether an employee is right for the task before following their preferences.

“During my first job in HR, my boss told me it was my job to make everyone happy — in retail! I still must remind myself, 30 years later, that I can’t make everyone happy,” said Nancy Wraight, SHRM-SCP, former CHRO at restaurant chain Avanti’s and former director of the Illinois State Council of SHRM.        

Challenge 3: Saving Others Without Considering Your Leadership Needs   

Another challenge of being a servant leader is not being able to distinguish between when to empower your team and when to put your own needs first. It can be tempting to problem-solve yourself, take a step back and empower your team to do their own problem-solving. Focus on serving, not saving, your team. Your leaders will learn more through the experience, and you will get time back in your busy schedule. When you don’t delegate, you’re taking away growth opportunities from your leaders. 
 
“ You’re actually taking away your team’s ability to be you,” noted Kelly Jones, chief people officer at Cisco. “[My boss] said, ‘There are people on your team that want to do the job that you’re doing. ... Allow your team to step in and do some of these things. It doesn’t always have to be you.’ ” 

Bringing Servant Leadership to Life in Your Organization  

Servant leadership is an approach that you can apply within your own business. Executives at Fortune 500 companies, including The Container Store and Marriott International, have demonstrated success in applying this leadership practice.  

Here are a few examples of servant leadership in action :

• Kip Tindell, former CEO of The Container Store, prioritized employee training opportunities. The company offers its full-time employees more than 250 hours of training during their first year. 
  

• Jinah Chernivec, CHRO and chief risk officer at Goodwill Industries-Minnesota, saw servant leadership in action through her volunteer board work with a local school director, who opened a charter school. The director invested time and energy in mentoring the school’s teachers so they felt just as empowered as the students. The school director “made sure to create a culture where educators felt empowered to take risks, try new methods, and continuously improve their practice. By providing consistent feedback and being approachable, the director helped his teachers feel valued and confident in their ability to inspire students,” Chernivec said. 
  

• Bill Marriott, former CEO of Mariott International, said he focuses on including employees in companywide decisions when possible. He believes the most important words in business are: “What do you think?”

How HR Can Champion the Shift   

As the architects of workplace culture, HR leaders are uniquely positioned to drive this transformation. Servant leadership is not just a people strategy — it’s a business imperative. According to SHRM's The State of Global Workplace Culture in 2024, 47% of employees leave their employer due to a lack of empathetic leadership.  

Organizations with servant-oriented leaders tend to report: 

• Higher levels of trust and engagement — when employees feel genuinely valued and supported, they tend to be more committed to their organization.

• Lower turnover — organizations with a servant leadership approach tend to experience lower turnover because their leaders prioritize employee well-being and professional growth.

• Greater collaboration — servant leadership encourages greater collaboration by creating a culture rooted in mutual respect and shared purpose.

• More inclusive decision-making — this approach further promotes more inclusive decision-making, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard and considered at every level.   

Investing in Servant Leadership Development    

Given how servant leadership can help improve your organization’s bottom line, organizations can incorporate this practice into:

• Leadership development programs  — this approach will assist leaders in acquiring emotional intelligence, empathy, and trust. Such skills drive team performance and long-term organizational success through shifting the focus from authority to service and building a more inclusive workplace culture . Consider this when developing your team coaching frameworks.

• Manager onboarding — setting the tone for inclusive and collaborative team dynamics starts when leaders are introduced to the servant leadership approach during onboarding. Encourage your onboarding leaders to demonstrate empathy and active listening during the training process to empower incoming employees. For more insights on talent acquisition, pursue the SHRM Talent Acquisition Specialty Credential.

• Inclusion and well-being strategies — servant leadership goes hand in hand with the notion of inclusion because it promotes psychological safety and a culture in which employees feel heard, respected, and supported. For more information on applying inclusion principles in the workplace, view SHRM’s BEAM Framework. 

The Future of Leadership Is Human   

As the workplace continues to evolve, one thing is clear: The most effective leaders will be those who serve. Servant leadership isn’t a trend — it’s a sustainable model for building better organizations from the inside out. 

In today’s workplace, leaders who serve aren’t stepping back — they’re stepping up. With care. With courage. And with a commitment to helping every employee reach their full potential.