Servant Leadership: How Humble Owners Win

Introduction – Home Service Pros Serve

Running a home service business isn’t just about great tools or flawless results — it’s about people. Practicing servant leadership means putting your team first, showing humility, and empowering them to shine. When your employees feel respected and valued, they’ll take even better care of your customers — and that’s how your company truly stands out. 👏

Why Servant Leadership Is Hard

Here is a sincere, thought provoking quote: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. – C. S. Lewis

I’ll admit it. When I started my first Home Services business I was a cocky, proud and yet insecure jerk!😲 (My dear wife is saying right now, “So Steve, you think you’ve changed over the last 50 years?”)🤔 Hmmmmm…

Seriously, unless you’re a total idiot business (and life) has a way of humbling an entrepreneur. And yet we can easily forget to be “humble” when dealing with our employees. Here’s WHY humility is so important…

In today’s hiring crisis it is essential to KEEP your existing reliable, trained employees. How can you retain your workers? Simply put, people stay stay the longest in jobs where they feel a) needed, b) useful and c) appreciated. So therefore…

Humble Leaders Trust Their Team

HUMBLY recognize that your employees at times know more than you do!

NOTE: I believe it was Tom Peters who first said, “They know best who are closest to the action.” OK, maybe it was Michael Gerber or who knows, maybe I dreamed it up!😎 But I’m 97.3% sure that this principle is resonating with you!💖

REMINDER: Many of your employee challenges simply disappear with the “very best people” on your team! In my 3-hour, online “Hiring the Best!” seminar you’ll discover new recruiting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding systems to transform your business AND your life. But meanwhile, let’s dive into some servant leadership examples in business that you can start implementing today.

3 Principles of Servant Leadership

1. Ask for help. When an employee comes to you with a business problem never get angry. Instead, your first words should be, “Thanks, Charlie, for letting me know about this. Hmmmm… what do you think we* should do?” This response has so many upside results! A) You’ve stressed that all your employees are a team, B) Charlie feels uplifted and validated by your confidence in him, and C) just MAYBE Charlie will come up with a great suggestion! 🤷🏼‍♂️👍

*HINT: Whenever possible automatically substitute the pronoun “we” for “I” when talking with your staff.

2. Really LISTEN. It is ever-so-very-humiliating to be asked for your opinion, you give a well thought out response and… it’s obvious the other party isn’t even listening to you!😡 So, FOCUS on your worker’s ideas. Maintain eye contact with your employee, nod and give “Affirmative Responses” such as “hmmm” or “I see” or “I agree”, etc. Then ask follow-up questions*, explain you’ll get back to them (and do so!) and sincerely thank your worker.

*Want extra credit? Pull out a notepad or even your cell phone and jot down their idea(s). This will be a VERY positive Moment of Truth for your employee.

3. Give credit to others.😊 When a worker’s solution functions well, thank them personally. But also be sure to publicly praise an employee to their co-workers, their family and even their clients. Then when your company weathers a crisis or even knocks out a super busy week, publicly give the credit to your team!*

*Building team spirit is one of the very best reasons for regular staff meetings.

Summary – Growing and Serving As A Team

At the end of the day, true servant leadership isn’t about being the boss — it’s about serving your team so they can serve your customers better. When you show humility, listen deeply, and share credit freely, your employees don’t just work for you — they work with you. And that’s when a company truly becomes unstoppable.💪