In the fast-paced business world, "leadership" often brings images of boardrooms, power suits, corner offices, and strategic plans to mind. However, at its core, leadership is all about people. It's about understanding, empowering, and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.

Let me raise the bar even further. If you're in a leadership capacity now, you should know that leadership at its very best is about investing in people's development and looking after their needs so they are equipped to succeed and deliver excellence.

There's a term for that in the business lexicon: servant leadership.

The highest measure of success for a servant leader is the impact you're making on others under your care. As a starting point to shift your leadership style to a more high-impact, serving model that puts people first, we need daily reminders to keep us on track to be the very best leader we can be. 

One reminder that should be at the forefront of every leader's mind is in the form of a question – a powerful, hold-up-the-mirror question: 

How will I be remembered by my peers, colleagues, and employees?

Would anyone who's ever worked for you put you on their short list of "best bosses?" Would anyone share stories of how being led by you changed their life? How being led by you helped them grow personally and professionally? 

Yes, the bar is pretty high for servant leaders, and not everyone measures up. Why do I say that? Because servant leaders are known to be selfless givers. 

They give of their time, they share their wisdom and knowledge, they pour into their people, and they place their followers' interests ahead of their own. They do all of this because they have a genuine, intrinsic desire to see people succeed.

Becoming a Servant Leader

The opportunity to learn the skills of servant leadership is there for the taking; it's accessible to anyone willing to elevate their leadership game. 

The benefits also are tremendous. When you arrive at the moment where your servant leadership is crystalized, people will respond with uncommon loyalty and commitment. From a purely business standpoint, this means higher performance and employee engagement.

Here's the bottom line: If you want to watch your own leadership growth and likability skyrocket, do the courageous act of placing others in the position to be and do their very best. When you do that, you are on your way to becoming an exceptional and respected servant leader. 

Inc