Today we welcome Madeline of Bold Brides & Powerful Planners to the blog. She loves to educate wedding planners on how to be a leader in the field. If you’re thinking about adding team members to your wedding planner business, she is sharing some really great insight on how to lead your team.
Servant Leadership for Wedding Planners
As wedding planners we often have a team of people either working directly with us, or coming together on the day of the event in collaboration. It is important that we develop our skills as leaders, just as we would refine our organization or design abilities. Over the past few years, as I have taken on a greater role in the industry, I have put dedicated work into my role as a leader.
What is a Servant Leader:
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first… The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.” -Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader
9 Trait’s of a Servant Leader:
Larry C. Spears, former president of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, defined the top 9 most important characteristics of servant leadership:
- Listening.
- Empathy.
- Healing.
- Awareness.
- Persuasion.
- Conceptualization.
- Foresight.
- Stewardship.
- Commitment to the growth of people.
I think as wedding planners it is easy for us to get caught up in trait 7, and we get stuck attempting to foresee everything that we forget to acknowledge what is happening in the moment or addressing a team member in need. I am sorry to admit that there have been times where I have ignored team members while being stuck in my “Type A mindset” (my excuse for poorer leadership qualities in the past). Because of this, I want to address three truths that will encourage you to put servant leadership into action.
Pro Tip: Servant leadership highlights the awareness, empathy, and healing that a leader can show to foster hard work and positive relationships.
The 3 Truths:
Truth 1: Leadership and management are not the same thing.
Simply put, there is much more to being a great leader than managing people and tasks. While this is a key component, efficiently managing doesn’t require putting effort into the people and the relationships.
Truth 2: Not everyone is lead the same way.
Practicing servant leadership emphasizes the relationships with those you oversee. Being attentive to the different personalities and working qualities of others, helps you to better delegate their tasks and responsibilities. It also increases their overall satisfaction with you and the tasks they are completing.
Truth 3: Leadership styles can change (and it is TOTALLY worth it).
Leadership styles can always be improving. It takes some internalizing and goal setting. Most importantly, it takes some vulnerability. Being honest with your crew and seeking feedback on your changes are the best way to approach this. We work in a fantastic industry of people who want to see one another succeed.
A great leader understands that leadership and management are not the same thing, that not everyone is lead the same way, and a great leader puts time and attention into cultivating their leadership qualities so that people are put before tasks. Put these methods to the test, and refine your leadership skills.
Dedicated to all things wedding, Madeline is a planner, stylist, and career mentor. She focuses on empowering other planners and brides through her blog BOLD BRIDES & POWERFUL PLANNERS.
