The most powerful and effective leaders are servant leaders. Servant leaders share power with others and serving the needs of others is their highest priority.

These leaders are good listeners who learn from and identify with those around them. They are secure in their own leadership, so they can promote and equip others for success.

They don’t need any recognition at all, and they do what they do for the sake of being a special force in other people’s lives. The force that equips others for success. Being that force for others is their true source of fulfillment.

“Being a force of service to humanity is the reward for an authentic leader.”

A great leader must also be diligent in obtaining the most accurate feedback on their leadership style and development.

This should be done not from an insecure perspective, but to ensure people are properly connecting to the overall vision in motion, and to also be open to learning what’s not working.

“Being open to criticism is the key to your success as a leader.”

Accurate feedback means being open to criticism, as in listening to what’s not working and identifying your blind spots as a leader.

A great leader wants to draw out, and more importantly, acknowledge all those around him/her, and celebrate their contributions and input.

“Truly inspirational leaders help other people succeed by having a consciousness of service.”

Serving others is simple when all you can think of is to be a servant leader; however, it also means knowing when to let people fall, and push people along to discover things they need to see about themselves to grow.

Have the courage to call people out on things for which they’re either being robotic about or are simply for not paying attention to details.

When it comes to clients, this also means at times being able to walk away from those not well engaged with you and letting them learn via their failed efforts.

Build Communities

More recently, the dominant business competence appears to be business flexibility.

Significant competence is brought together within a flexible business network of inter-organizational arrangements.

As a result, the cloud is growing fast, because it allows companies to be nimble in changing the moving parts sort of speak in an efficient way and with agility.

To succeed in the new environment of tomorrow, the organization itself must undergo a significant and radical change from the traditional B2B, or B2C, or B2B2C, to become a people-to-people business.

By focusing on people, companies can outcompete and outperform everyone. To serve people you must know and own why you exist. Why you exist is tied to your values. The reasons that compel you to do what you do.

When you stand for something that matters, others with similar values want to be a part of it. Rather than just customers, you end up building an unshakable culture and community.

This is a key point of distinction. The most successful companies in the world have leaders who build communities and serve those communities with focus and purpose.

Honor Your Values

Why you exist trumps what you do and how you do it. Why you exist also ties to the purpose for your existence as a brand. If you exist simply to make money, then your value is making money. You would be best served by attracting people who only care about making money.

There is nothing wrong with that value, but it’s not heart based. What is the memorable experience you are creating for customers if your focus is only to make money?

There is no relationship there. Everything is simply a transaction. Every day you must start fresh and earn each customer — there is no stickiness in that business model.

“Your values attract like-minded employees, partners, and customers, turning them into a community.”

Building your company as a people centric business culture will outlast, outcompete, and outperform anything else because you end up creating a community of interest with your employees, partners, vendors, investors, and customers.

Serve the Needs of Others

It’s a basic human need and desire to belong. Historically people looked to civic groups, religion, or other organized efforts to achieve this basic need to belong.

Today, leaders of companies who understand the importance of creating community, understand that people still have a desire to belong and be part of something greater than themselves.

The future of work is people centric. To attract the right people, you must be clear on your own values, and how those values compel you to do what you do, day in and day out.

This self-awareness can further help you define the purpose for your business because the purpose or the why your business exists, becomes tied to your values.

The future of business is people focused based on values that create a lasting and fulfilling sense of community.

“The future will be the playing ground of humble servants.”

Leaders who not only get the value of serving others creates but see this kind of community as an opportunity for personal growth in relationships.

“When you shift your business mindset to people serving people, and instead of building a customer base you focus on building community, nothing can stop you.”

When your context is to be in the people-to-people business it becomes very clear that everything is about relationships. For relationships to thrive, you must be humble to learn, and grow, and evolve not just as a leader, but as a human being.