Hitting The Leadership Sweet Spot: Striking the Balance Between Servant-Leadership and Empowerment Through Delegation

While I was a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy, we crammed into our already busy schedules a near-weekly event: lectures from guest speakers on topics such as character, leadership development, and Academy heritage. Normally, I viewed these sessions as just another checkbox on the path to earning my coveted and minimal hours of sleep. However, one lecture stood out—delivered by none other than the Chief of Staff of the Air Force at the time, General David Goldfein. During this lecture, I took away a life lesson that I held so deeply in my heart, it was almost to my own detriment.

All cadets were required to attend Gen. Goldfein’s lecture, so we hurriedly put on our service dress uniforms and packed into Arnold Hall Auditorium. During his lecture, Gen. Goldfein reminded us of the outstanding Enlisted Corps we would soon lead as future Second Lieutenants. He shared stories of incredible sacrifice from our Enlisted members, such as TSgt John Chapman, and challenged us to be worthy of leading individuals of such high caliber. I internalized this call to servant-leadership with conviction. From that moment on, I was determined to figure out how I could best serve my subordinates and how I could help them become the best versions of themselves.

What is Servant Leadership?

In his essay “Who Is the Servant-Leader?”, Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term servant-leader, asserting that the most effective leaders are driven by the desire to serve first, with leadership being a conscious choice that follows. For servant leaders, every decision and use of authority is guided by the needs of the people they serve. Greenleaf provides a litmus test for evaluating the effectiveness of servant-leadership:

“The best test, and most difficult to administer, is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society—will they benefit, or at least not be further deprived?”

Servant-leadership shifts the traditional power structure. Instead of the team working to advance the leader, the leader's role is to advance the team. By investing in the development of each member, the entire team experiences growth.

Servant-leaders approach each decision point with the following questions:

• How can I help my team succeed?

• How can I help each member of my team succeed in their personal endeavors?

• What barriers or obstacles can I remove to enhance their efforts?

• Do I see each member of my team demonstrating personal growth? Who in my team do I need to focus my time and attention to ensure personal growth?

Balancing Empowerment Through Delegation

As a young Lieutenant, I carried the principles of servant-leadership with me and tried to implement them wherever I could. However, over time, what I considered to be servant-leadership slowly morphed into perfectionism. I became focused on ensuring my team's success by reducing their workload—removing tasks that might have challenged them or given them opportunities to grow. What I thought was support was actually micromanagement. Ultimately, this led to an unsustainable workload for myself and little to no developmental opportunities for my subordinates.

Delegation is not about offloading tasks; rather, delegation is about entrusting responsibility and authority to other members of the team. Delegation enables each member to have a hand in the success of the team, while also freeing up mental and emotional capacity for tasks to be accomplished at higher decision-maker echelons. The challenge I faced, and the challenge many others who strive to be servant-leaders may face, is maintaining the spirit of putting others before themselves without unintentionally micromanaging or attempting to rescue team members from development opportunities. It’s easy to fall into the trap of doing for others instead of enabling others to do for themselves.

Finding the Line

While delegation continues to be a challenge for myself, I am committed to the process of serving my subordinates through empowering delegation. Through my relatively short time as an officer in the Air Force, I have developed several practices that support my role as a servant leader while ensuring that appropriate delegation takes place.

1. Define Clear Expectations with Minimal Prescribed Procedure

Set specific, measurable outcomes for delegated tasks; however, allow flexibility in how those outcomes are achieved. This communicates trust while maintaining alignment with mission requirements.

Servant-Leader Mindset: “I will provide you with clear expectations. Now, what support do you need to achieve this?”

Empowering Mindset: “I trust your judgment on how you choose to accomplish this task.”

2. Stay Available, but Not Invasive

Because micromanagement kills empowerment, strive to create regular check-in points while encouraging independent problem-solving. Again, delegation is not merely offloading. Servant-leaders maintain involvement throughout the entire process of accomplishing the mission.

Servant-Leader Mindset: “I am available for support if you hit a roadblock.”

Empowering Mindset: “I trust that you will communicate with me if there is an issue with accomplishing the task.”

3. Celebrate Success as a Team

Recognize not only success but growth. Develop public affirmation as a regular practice to reinforce autonomy and personal growth. Additionally, tie each member’s efforts into the larger picture of the team’s success.

Servant-Leader Mindset: “Your contributions are vital to this team.”

Empowering Mindset: “You owned that task—you make this team better.”

4. Be Prepared to Accept Responsibility for Failure

Potentially the most important and difficult step, be prepared to experience failure. Be prepared to experience growing pains as subordinates attempt new opportunities. Perfectionism is another killer of empowerment. Responsibility for failure rests on the leader’s shoulders. Leaders must recognize that there will likely be failure in the wake of members trying new things.

Servant-Leader Mindset: “I know this task is new to you. I will accept the risk, so that you can attempt this opportunity without fear of failure.”

Empowering Mindset: “Your growth matters more than perfection.”

Conclusion

Servant-leadership and empowering delegation are not opposing forces—they are complementary tools for building resilient, motivated, and capable teams. The key lies in knowing when to step in and when to step back. True servant-leaders embody the belief that their greatest contribution may not be what they do, but what they empower others to achieve.

Captain Elizabeth M. Read has served as Chief of Group Intelligence Training for the 18th Air Support Operations Group at Pope Army Airfield and as an Airborne-qualified ISR Liaison Officer to XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Liberty, since November 2021. Commissioned in 2019 as a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Geospatial Science, she was selected for the Academy’s Graduate Studies Program scholarship and earned an M.S. in Geospatial Information Science from the University of Maryland. In her current roles, Capt Read oversees training and qualification of intelligence personnel across four units and integrates ISR assets with Army ground forces during Corps operations and exercises.

References:

Greenleaf, Robert K., “Who Is the Servant-Leader?”, The International Journal of Servant-Leadership, https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2023/9/26/robert-greenleaf-servant-leadership 

Petreska, Georgina, “Using Servant Leadership to Delegate and Empower Your Team”, Manage Better, Using Servant Leadership to Delegate and Empower Your Team — ManageBetter

The Five Minute Leader, “Mastering the Art of Delegation: How Leaders Empower Teams Without Surrendering Authority”, Mastering the Art of Delegation: How Leaders Empower Teams Without Surrendering Authority  – The Five Minute Leader