Servant Leadership 101

The VA Leadership Development Framework is centered around the principles of servant leadership. Servant leadership is not a leadership competency model, but instead a guiding set of principles for leadership. Servant leadership in VA is framed around the concepts of focusing on the Mission and Personal Character where leaders work to gain self-awareness, seek feedback, actively lead by example, and stay true to their personal values to serve others, particularly Veterans. Leaders create a culture of continuous learning and development, inspire service focused environments, and provide opportunities for others to achieve their highest potential; Focus on Organization Results - Leaders make timely decisions, hold self and others accountable, and are committed to providing superior service and care to Veterans. The target audience for this training module are Emerging Leaders and Team Leaders who are not supervisors.

Through the scenarios you will gain insight into the following elements of Servant Leadership.

1. Focus on the individual AND the organization: this is a balancing act recognizing that both are equally important and neither come over the other.
2. Focus on employees’ growth and development to reach their highest potential: always looking for ways to grow your staff and celebrate their career success. Helping them grow for their own sake, not just for the sake of the organization.
3. Demonstrating the embodiment of values: values aren’t just something talked about, they are visible in your behavior and are at the core of all your decision making.
4. Investment in the success of all stakeholders: understanding that we are stronger when we find ways for everyone to be successful. Being focused only on your own success can hinder the mission of the organization.
5. Making time for self-reflection: remembering to make time to reflect on your day and your interactions, and really look at what could’ve been done better, what did go well, why it did or didn’t go well, and determine if any repair work needs to be done.
6. Understanding the importance of demonstrating humility: no matter what position or status you may achieve, you always remain teachable by anyone.
7. Understanding the art of withdrawal: intentionally taking time to reorient yourself toward the things that are the most important rather than allowing yourself to be continually bombarded by less important demands on your time. Taking strategic breaks to think/consider, evaluate, and plan.