Put the growth of others first

Start from "how do I help this person succeed?" rather than "how do they help me succeed?"

Why it works

When a leader’s default move is to develop the person rather than extract output, it satisfies the basic psychological need for support and growth, which self-determination research links to intrinsic motivation. People reciprocate genuine investment with commitment — the norm of reciprocity turns service into discretionary effort.

How to do it

1. Before a one-on-one, ask yourself what would help this person grow, not just what you need.
2. Spend real time understanding each person’s goals, not only their tasks.
3. Measure your success partly by how much the people around you are developing.

Evidence

Meta-analytic work finds servant leadership positively associated with follower job attitudes, performance, and organizational citizenship behavior, often above and beyond transformational leadership. (observational)

The literature is largely cross-sectional and self-report; it shows association, not clean causation, and is vulnerable to common-method bias.

Sources

• Eva et al. (2019), "Servant Leadership: A systematic review", The Leadership Quarterly

Common mistake

Treating "serve first" as self-erasure — neglecting results and your own needs until you burn out and resent the people you meant to help.