“Their people all say, ‘This is just how we are.’” Lao Tzu’s words describe the kind of leadership so seamless that those being led feel their own success is natural. This is servant leadership at its best—and science backs it up.

Servant leadership means putting people first—guiding, supporting, and empowering others so that success feels natural, and leadership becomes almost invisible.

Studies show that leaders who empower their teams—rather than control them—build more effective, engaged, and high-performing groups. Dacher Keltner’s “Power Paradox” reveals that true power comes from generosity and trust, not dominance. Research on Servant Leadership and Ethical Leadership shows that organizations led this way consistently outperform authoritarian ones, fostering stronger loyalty, innovation, and long-term success.

This is how my husband and I ran our restaurant. Our ownership philosophy was to hire the best people, give them everything they needed to succeed, and then get out of their way so they could exceed our expectations.

A friend once observed that my leadership style displayed “a high level of mastery” (his words), saying that when I gave a correction, it was so subtle that my staff thought I was just offering advice on how to do their job better.

The results? Our staff took ownership of their work, innovated, and built a team-oriented restaurant culture that thrived. Many of them went on to great things such as culinary school, launching businesses, and stepping into leadership roles. Servant leadership doesn’t just build great teams—it creates the next generation of leaders.

What about you? How do you lead in a way that makes success feel so natural that your team says, “This is just how we are”?

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This is one of my Big Ideas posts—where I explore how new ideas, good science, creativity, and bold leadership can help us build a better world. I believe ADHD leaders have the empathy and creativity to solve the world’s biggest problems, and I want to support as many of them as possible as they step into leadership. Take what resonates, and make it your own.

Resources:

Ivanhoe, Philip J. (Trans.). (2002). The Daodejing of Laozi. Hackett Publishing.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/political_primates/
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/power_paradox
https://carey.jhu.edu/articles/ethical-leadership-strengthens-efficacy-cohesion