How can you apply servant leadership in a startup?

Servant Leadership is all about looking for ways to add value to others. This can be for a person above, beside or below you in an org chart. This can also be directed at the customer. A startup is an "all hands on deck environment" and if everyone is trying to achieve the mission solely on their own, the startup is bound to fail. Being willing to lift up others and cheer them on, is key to success. Be willing to put the needs of colleagues, customers and the company first. If everyone adopts the same philosophy, the company will go much further faster.

A great example of servant leadership is from the small village elders. I grew up observing them and that’s what has helped me with, being 3Hearts Founder, for the past 4 years, running the 3Hearts Connections Global community with the vision and mission to create a more connected society by eliminating isolation, and loneliness, and the lead to depression. These village elders never considered themselves leaders. They just stepped up and stepped into the role as they were called on. In a way, a startup Founder is similar. They saw a problem; they stepped in to solve it. The most important thing to keep in mind though, is to keep the ego mind at bay otherwise, very quickly, our servant leadership style will turn into an authoritarian one.

Create an environment where people are encouraged to share their ideas and feedback. When your team realizes that their input is valued, they will be more willing to share it. Even if you already have an idea of how you would approach a problem, ASK your team for input. For example: How would you solve this issue? What are your thoughts on how to approach this challenge? What resources would we need to accomplish this goal?

There's a saying in the I Ching (the Chinese book of wisdom) that says, "A Prince who shouts orders but will not walk among his people may as well try to command the four winds." If you can make people feel included in the creative process, they will be very supportive.

One of the best ways to adapt and improve is to begin by centering yourself. Startup founders LOVE their project...as they should...but by centering yourself, and seeking balance, you will align yourself with your Higher Power, the original spark of creativity. If you don't, you will remain subject to the whims of every passing storm.

The title of my first book, published in 1994, is "To Lead is to Serve." This principle has been said in every tradition, all over the world. In Italy, St. Francis of Assissi said, "It is in giving that we receive." In China, it is said, “To rule truly is to serve.” The Upanishads, ancient scriptures of India, say, “If you want to be happy, be giving.”

When I started my first start up, this is how I leant the importance and meaning of Servant Leadership; - Defining a clear vision & strategy - Explaining the Why, What & How - Answering the WIIFM question - Identifying the key customer base - Establishing rapport with my team & clients - Creating an empathetic & compassionate culture - Build a collaborative culture of tolerance, gratitude and trust - Celebrating small wins with my team - Defining clear roles & responsibilities with a well crafted training plan including the progression path - Built adaptability & resilience within my team to ideate, innovate - Promote a feedback culture to learn & grow - Lead from the front to inspire, mentor, train, empower & delegate

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." - Bill Gates Rule 1. Embrace Failure wisely said by Elon Musk: “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.” embrace challenges as opportunities. Rule 2. As a servant leader thriving for excellence embrace Generative AI tools like Grook, Google Bard & ChatGPT to enhance communication within your team, customers, vendors, shareholders, and the public via social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube (even live streams from the office). Rule 3. As a servant leader it is a privilege to serve your team by repeating Rules 1-3 until you achieve success for your team by serving them and achieving their personal goals.