I posed that question to over 100 participants in a series of workshops I recently conducted for a client. As you might suspect, about half the people thought relationships was the most important word. Their rationale essentially boiled down to people are the ones who do the work in the organization, and if you want them to produce good results, you need to nurture good relationships.

The other half of the group advocated that results was the most important word. Their argument was that without good results, positive relationships don’t matter. If you aren’t winning—however that is defined for your organization—then nothing else counts.

What is your answer to that question? If you said and, then bravo, you’re correct! (Did the title of the article give it away?!)

Organizational leaders often have an either/or attitude toward results and people. Those who focus too heavily on results may have trouble creating and sustaining great relationships with their people, and leaders who mainly focus on relationships may have trouble getting the desired results.

Placing too much emphasis on relationships to the detriment of results is perhaps the biggest misconception of servant leadership. That couldn’t be further from the truth! You can get both great results and great relationships if you understand the two parts of servant leadership:

• The leadership aspect focuses on vision, direction, and results—where you as a leader hope to take your people. Leaders should involve others in setting direction and determining desired results, but if people don’t know where they’re headed or what they’re meant to accomplish, the fault lies with the leader.
• The servant aspect focuses on working side by side in relationship with your people. Once the vision and direction are clear, the leader’s role shifts to service—helping people accomplish agreed-upon goals. Serving your people in this way builds high-trust relationships and results in highly engaged team members.

The simple truth is servant leadership is the best way to achieve both great results and great relationships. It’s common sense, but not always common practice.

I invite you to join me and Ken Blanchard for a live virtual talk on January 26, 2022, where we’ll discuss this and other simple truths of leadership and trust from our new book, Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. The event is free, but registration is required.

Randy Conley is Vice President of Professional Services and Trust Practice Leader at The Ken Blanchard Companies. His award-winning blog, Leading with Trust, has influenced over 4 million viewers since its inception in 2012. His LeaderChat posts appear the fourth or last Thursday of every month. You can follow Randy on Twitter @RandyConley or connect with him on Linked-In.

Executives from leading companies in the US, Canada, and Europe will be sharing stories of how they have successfully met these challenges through development programs that teach leaders how to co-create, co-design, and collaborate more effectively.

That’s the type of leader Blanchard believes is needed to effectively turn the organizational pyramid upside down.  As he explains, “We’ve seen the negative result of self-serving leadership where all the money, power, and recognition moves up the hierarchy.  Self-serving leaders think that leadership is all about them and not about the best interests of the people they serve.  They forget about acting with respect, care, and fairness for all involved.”

Blanchard’s dream is that someday everyone will know someone who is leading at a higher level.  Self-serving leaders will be a thing of the past and leadership around the world will be composed of people who, as Robert Greenleaf said, “Serve first and lead second.”

Helping Blanchard spread the word will be several best-selling business authors each sharing a unique perspective on leading in today’s world.

Liz Wiseman, author of Multipliers, will be sharing her research into the traits of leaders who “multiply” the talents of the people they serve.  She will also look at some of the ways that leaders accidentally diminish the performance of direct reports through behaviors they may be unaware of.

Dr. Henry Cloud, clinical psychologist and bestselling author of Boundaries for Leaders, will share how saying “no” to some priorities allows leaders to better say “yes” to others. Cloud will look at how human behavior, neuroscience, and business leadership can come together to improve performance and increase employee and customer satisfaction.

Matthew Emerzian, author of Every Monday Matters will explore the impact that one person can have in this world.  Drawing on his own liberating experience of spending one day a week in service to others, Emerzian will share how small, seemingly inconsequential acts of service can have a big impact in your own life and the lives of others.

Are you ready to serve?

In his book, The Secret: What Great Leaders Know—And Do, Ken Blanchard, along with co-author Mark Miller outline five areas a serving leader of the future needs to excel at.  How would you assess your leadership in these five areas?

1. See the Future.  Leadership is about taking people from one place to another.  What is your team’s purpose? Where do you want your team to be in five years?  How many members of your team could clearly explain the group’s purpose and goal to others?
2. Engage and Develop Your People. Once vision and direction are set, a leader’s job is to turn the hierarchal pyramid upside down so everyone is focused on helping those closest to the customer.  How are you encouraging the development of your people? To what extent have you successfully engaged each member of your team?  What have you done to suggest to your people that when it comes to implementation activities, you work for them?
3. Reinvent Continuously.  Great leaders don’t rest on their laurels.  How often do you review: How can we do the work better? How can we do it for less? What systems or processes can we change to enhance performance?
4. Value Results and Relationships. Serving leadership requires a balanced approach to results and people—it’s not an either/or question.  To what degree do you have high expectations for both results and relationships? How many of your people would say that you have made a significant investment in their lives? What are the ways that you have expressed appreciation for work well done in the last 30 days?
5. Embody the Values. In today’s age of transparency, being bold enough to lead others requires authenticity and trust. Do people know where you stand, what they can expect from you, and what you expect from them?  How well do your daily activities align with your personal values?

Review these five areas often, (you’ll see that the first letter of each factor spells SERVE to help you remember.) Continually doing a good job in each of these areas is a significant task—don’t be too tough on yourself if you see a couple of areas for improvement.  Every step you take in this direction will bring you closer to leading at a higher level.  Get started today!

PS:  Interested in learning more about Blanchard Summit 2013?  Use this link to download a brochure or request an invitation.