When we think of leaders—especially corporate leaders—we often conjure up images of a corner office with mahogany furniture. We envision an executive with a team that is serving him or her, not the leader serving the team.

However, in 1970, Robert K. Greenleaf coined the term "servant as leader" referring to a leader who serves first. As Greenleaf describes, "It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first… That person is sharply different from one who is a leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions ..."

Promotional Consultant Today shares the 10 characteristics of servant leaders, as identified by Greenleaf.

1. Listening

2. Empath

3. Healing

4. Awareness

5. Persuasion

6. Conceptualization

7. Foresight

8. Stewardship

9. Commitment to the growth of people

10. Building community

You are a servant leader when you focus on the needs of others before you consider your own. It's a longer-term approach to leadership, rather than a technique that you can adopt in specific situations.

Servant leaders are likely to have more engaged employees and enjoy better relationships with team members and other stakeholders than leaders who don't put the interests of others before their own.

As you lead a team, a project or an entire department or company, beginning practicing the characteristics and enjoy the benefits of serving others.

Source: Established in 1996, Mind Tools is a website that helps more than 25,000,000 people each year. These individuals come from many different levels within organizations ranging from senior executives and business owners to young professionals and career-starters. Mind Tools provides hundreds of useful career skills for free on the website as well as new management and career techniques every week through a free newsletter.