Recently, I have been watching the medical series "New Amsterdam". It's about a medical doctor who becomes the medical director of one of the oldest public hospitals in the US. Not that unusual, but striking to me is, that every time someone comes to him, his first question always is "How can I help?".

If you ask me, not enough leaders understand the concept of 'service'. They forget that they have a responsibility towards the people they lead. The responsibility they have is to create an environment where people feel safe and protected. Simon Sinek calls this the 'Circle of Safety' in 'Leaders Eat Last'. And according to John C. Maxwell it's even one of the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. He addresses this concept op service in the Law Of Addition.

Actually, if you look closer to the question 'How can I Help?', it actually embodies the question 'How can I create a safe and protected environment for you and your peers?". It also asks the other person 'What are your impediments?'. Not all leaders will ask this question, but there is one type of leader that will: the Servant-Leader. A leader that knows and understands that the team does not work for him, but he works for them.

How many Servant-Leaders do you know?