Servant Leadership: Why the Best Tech Leaders Serve First

"My job isn't to tell you what to do. My job is to help you do your best work."

That's the essence of servant leadership – a leadership approach that seems counterintuitive but demonstrably delivers better results. Especially in tech teams.

What Is Servant Leadership?

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970. The core:

Traditional Leadership: Leader → Team (Instructions flow down)

Servant Leadership: Leader ← Team (Leader serves the team)

The Central Idea

"The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served." — Robert K. Greenleaf

What Servant Leadership is NOT

• Weakness: Servant leaders make hard decisions when necessary
• Letting everything slide: Standards and accountability remain
• No leadership: Direction comes from the leader, the path from the team
• Just being nice: It's about growth, not popularity
• Anarchy: Structure and clarity are essential

Why Servant Leadership Works in Tech

The Problem with Command & Control

In software development, command & control works poorly:

Why Servant Leadership Fits

The Research

Studies show servant leadership correlates with:

• +23% employee engagement
• +32% team performance
• -44% turnover
• Higher innovation
• Better job satisfaction

The 10 Principles of Servant Leadership

1. Listening

Principle: Truly understand before responding.

Traditional: Meetings where the boss talks and everyone nods.

Servant Leadership: Meetings where the boss listens and the team speaks.

In practice:

BAD:
"I've decided we're using React."

BETTER:
"What technology do you think is the best choice?
What are your concerns?
What do you need to make a good decision?"

Techniques:

• Active listening without interruption
• Questions instead of answers
• Body language of attention
• Taking notes and coming back to them

2. Empathy

Principle: See people as whole people, not just resources.

Traditional: "How's the project going?"

Servant Leadership: "How are you – really?"

In practice:

Developer arrives late, looks tired.

TRADITIONAL:
"You need to be more punctual."

SERVANT LEADERSHIP:
"I noticed you seem different.
Everything okay? Can I help somehow?"

Developing emotional intelligence is crucial here.

3. Healing

Principle: Contribute to wholeness and recovery – of people and relationships.

Often relevant in tech teams:

• After failed projects
• After conflicts
• After periods of overwork
• After organizational changes

In practice:

After a failed release:

TRADITIONAL:
"Who's to blame? This can't happen again!"

SERVANT LEADERSHIP:
"That was hard for all of us. Let's analyze together
what we can learn – without blame.
And: How can we get back into a good rhythm as a team?"

4. Awareness

Principle: Cultivate self-awareness and situational awareness.

Dimensions:

• Self-awareness: Knowing your own strengths, weaknesses, triggers
• Team awareness: Recognizing dynamics, unspoken tensions
• Organizational awareness: Understanding politics, cultures, systemic patterns

In practice:

QUESTIONS TO YOURSELF:
- Why am I reacting this way right now?
- What's really happening in the team?
- What's the unspoken issue?
- What systemic factors are at play?

5. Persuasion

Principle: Lead through persuasion, not authority.

Traditional: "That's how it's done, because I say so."

Servant Leadership: "Let me explain why I think this is the best way. What do you think?"

In practice:

Architecture decision:

TRADITIONAL:
"We're doing microservices. Period."

SERVANT LEADERSHIP:
"I propose microservices because...
What are your concerns?
What alternatives should we still consider?"

6. Conceptualization

Principle: Think beyond day-to-day – vision and long-term perspective.

Balance: Servant leaders must both help in the daily work and keep the big picture in view.

In practice:

NOT JUST:
"How do we fix this bug?"

BUT ALSO:
"Where are we heading as a team in 2 years?
What skills do we need?
What's our technical vision?"

7. Foresight

Principle: Anticipate consequences and learn from the past.

Dimensions:

• Understand the past: What have we learned?
• See the present clearly: What's happening now?
• Anticipate the future: Where does this lead?

In practice:

With a technology decision:

"If we go this route...
- What have we learned from similar decisions?
- What's the current situation really?
- How will this play out in 2 years?"

8. Stewardship

Principle: Manage resources (people, team, organization) for the greater good.

Mindset shift:

• Not: "This is my team" → "I'm responsible for this team"
• Not: "I control" → "I steward"

In practice:

With budget decisions:

"How can we deploy these resources in a way
that benefits the team AND the organization AND
the customers the most?"

9. Commitment to the Growth of People

Principle: Actively contribute to each person's personal and professional development.

In practice:

In 1:1 conversations:

"Where do you want to be in a year?
What do you want to learn?
How can I support you?"

10. Building Community

Principle: Create a community where people care for each other.

In tech teams:

• Break down silos
• Establish shared rituals
• Celebrate successes together
• Bear failures together
• Be there for each other – including personal matters

In practice:

Team rituals:
- Weekly Demos: Show successes together
- Retrospectives: Learn together
- Team events: Get to know the people behind the roles
- Peer support: Be there for each other

Servant Leadership in Daily Tech Life

Morning Routine of a Servant Leader

6:00 - Reflection: What does my team need today?
8:00 - Blockers check: Does anyone have an obstacle?
9:00 - Being available: Slack/Teams for questions
10:00 - 1:1 (if scheduled): How are you really doing?

Typical Situations

1. Sprint Planning

Traditional: "These are the tasks for the sprint."

Servant Leadership:

• "What do you need to achieve these goals?"
• "Are there dependencies I can clarify?"
• "Are the estimates realistic for you?"

2. Code Review

Traditional: "That's wrong, do it this way."

Servant Leadership:

• "I see it differently – here's my perspective."
• "What was your thinking with this approach?"
• "How can I help you improve this?"

3. Team Conflict

Traditional: "Sort it out yourselves."

Servant Leadership:

• Actively moderate when needed
• Listen to both sides
• Enable joint solution
• Follow up on whether it's improved

4. Missed Deadline

Traditional: "Why didn't you make it?"

Servant Leadership:

• "What happened?"
• "What do you need to finish it?"
• "What do we need to change so this doesn't happen again?"
• "What could I have done differently?"

5. New Team Members

Traditional: Onboarding through documentation.

Servant Leadership:

• Personal welcome
• Establish buddy system
• Regular check-ins in the first weeks
• "What do you need to be successful?"

The Transition to Servant Leadership

Phase 1: Self-Reflection

Questions for yourself:

• Why do I lead? (Power? Control? Service?)
• What's my natural tendency? (Directing or Supporting?)
• What fears do I have about letting go?

Phase 2: Small Experiments

Start with:

• Asking more questions, giving fewer answers
• One meeting per week where you only listen
• Involving the team in one decision

Phase 3: Gather Feedback

Ask your team:

• "Do you feel supported by me?"
• "What could I do differently?"
• "When did I last help vs. hinder you?"

Phase 4: Continuous Improvement

• Regular reflection
• Seek coaching or a mentor
• Use books and resources
• Exchange with other servant leaders

Challenges and Solutions

"But I have to make decisions!"

Correct. Servant leadership doesn't mean not making decisions.

It means:

1. Gather input
2. Explain transparently
3. Decide when necessary
4. Be accountable

"What if the team doesn't perform?"

Servant leadership is not laissez-faire. Accountability remains:

"I want to understand what's going on. I'm here
to help. But I also need to be honest:
Current performance isn't what we need.
How can we change this together?"

"My boss expects Command & Control"

Options:

• Convince with results
• Partially adapt (different upward than downward)
• Long-term: Initiate culture change or change environment

"The team takes advantage of my openness"

Setting boundaries is part of servant leadership:

"I'm here to support. But support doesn't mean
there are no expectations.
What do you need AND what do I need from you?"

Measuring Servant Leadership

Indicators

Questions for Team Feedback

1. Do I feel supported by my leader?
2. Does my leader really listen?
3. Is my leader committed to my growth?
4. Does my leader trust me?
5. Can I speak openly with my leader?

Conclusion: Leading by Serving

Servant leadership is not a sign of weakness – it's a sign of strength. It takes more self-awareness and courage to serve than to command.

The core questions for every day:

1. How can I help my team today?
2. What's standing in the way of my team's success?
3. How can I create space for growth?
4. Am I serving or controlling?

The paradoxical effect: The more you serve, the more influence you have. The more you let go, the more you receive.

Servant leadership is not a technique – it's an attitude. And this attitude begins with a simple question:

"How can I help?"

Want to better understand and motivate your team? Our guide on Intrinsic Motivation shows how to create sustainable motivation through autonomy, competence, and relatedness. For the career path, see From Developer to Tech Lead. For AI-assisted teams: Human-Agent Teams.