The systemic view within serving leadership

Serving leadership is a leadership style that has gained increasing support in recent years. With increasingly prominent roles for, for example, sustainable working relationships and talent management within modern business operations, this actually makes sense. How can systemic leadership provide leaders with more tools to carry out their serving leadership?

Serving leadership at the base

A serving leader does what is necessary for the good of the organisation and its employees. Their actions are not ego-driven but serve the greater good. Sustainable connections are essential here, as is an eye for an organisation’s greatest capital: the knowledge, experience and efforts of its employees.

Serving leaders therefore adopt an attitude grounded in servitude. They create a foundation for employees. By putting both the organisation and the people within it first, they recognise both the whole and the parts.

The core of systemic leadership

Systemic leadership focuses on the system of the organisation, especially the positions and patterns within it. These patterns influence the outcome of both the whole and the parts. The energy of leaders and the place they occupy is essential and directs the success of the system.

Systemic leadership has developed itself over the past twenty years and has now proven its value. It brings connection and creates cohesion, in and around the organisation. It makes the entire organisational system more vital, productive and happy.

Parallel serving leadership and systemic leadership

At its core there are certainly parallels to be found between the goals of the serving leader and the systemic leader. Both leaders realise that there is a whole they have to lead, with parts within it. The whole sometimes comes first, even when it is not nice for the parts – and vice versa. Both leaders also recognise the importance of connection, acknowledgement and development for the organisation and the people within it.

A systemic view within serving leadership

The systemic view therefore fits seamlessly with the goals of the serving leader and can be a valuable addition to their leadership.

Systemic leadership is partly about the conscious part of the system and partly about the subconscious part. Some fixed elements within it are:

• Everything and everyone belongs. Even those who are ill or have a disliked role. The past and predecessors in the organisation as well. Everything that was, is and is to come. Including everything that this refers to. Some things may come to an end.
• Who has what place? What might go for something else?
• Is everyone sufficiently rewarded for what they give? With shown appreciation, compensation in money or free time, in development opportunities?

Systemic tools for the serving leader

In his leadership, the serving leader can deploy several systemic principles:

• Include everything. Be serving or acknowledging of the present and of the past.
• Turn on your perception and dare to follow your feelings. Even if you cannot quite justify your choice but something inside you knows whether you should do A, B or C.
• Difficult things are also allowed to be there. Do not shy away from the emotions that decisions can evoke.
• Do not merely plan for the future from your head, but stand with one leg already in a future that is coming your way – and also with one leg in your history or wherever you came from.

The systemic tools therefore absolutely contribute to a complete interpretation of serving leadership.