08 Aug A company has an obligation to inform new hires that embracing their values, perceptions and behavior is expected

A company has an obligation to inform new hires that embracing their values, perceptions and behavior is expected. An important part of servant leadership is complete transparency and truthfulness. And as well as the onboarding process of illuminating the values you expect the candidate to incorporate, these values should be clearly described during the recruitment process. Candidates need to understand both the job expectations and the corporate expectations. One of the things I say to interviewees is that while it’s important the candidate is a good fit for our organization, the organization has to be a good fit for the interviewee. Success of an organization relies on retaining staff (the time and cost of turnover is significant) and ensuring that candidates come into the organization with ‘eyes wide open’ is a major component to ensuring the candidate will be a long-term solution.

A leader’s informed values and individual behavior have a significant impact on organizational effectiveness. A leader sets the tone for the organization both in what they stand for and how they behave. Staff (especially junior staff) tend to emulate their manager’s philosophies and behavior. They assume that the individual is a leader within the organization because of their philosophies and behavior. Staff then try to mimic that style assuming that leadership sees those attributes as desirable and the pathway to advancement within the organization. As a result, leaders’ behavior and beliefs spawns numerous clones within the organization. Ensuring leaders subscribe to conscious culture and servant leadership is a critical step in making certain staff are treated with respect and treated fairly. It also sets the tone of the organization that how the leader presents themselves is the desired way staff should carry themselves within the organization.