This concept is not what most folks think about leaders, being servants of those they lead? This principle is not a cultural norm of most Western civilizations.
An example? Think of Harry Potter’s behavior…..Think about the CEO’s showcased in Good to Great.
Servant leaders tend to exhibit many of the same character traits: empathy, awareness, listening, persuasion, foresight (vision), conceptualization, stewardship, commitment to people’s growth, healing, and building community.
The foresight trait enables servant leaders to envision the next goal for an organization, and their other traits enable the organization to create buy-in and to develop traits among personnel so they can contribute towards the goal.
The same concept applies to leading innovation efforts. What could be better that one can align stakeholders and to receive and adopt their input as part of the effort to build an innovation “environment?”
It is wise to realize that one needs to give to get.