Human Leadership versus Servant Leadership
At POINT3, we talk a lot about Human Leadership – a leadership style rooted in self-awareness, emotional intelligence and care for both self and others. At the heart of human leadership is the ability to connect on a human level. Leaders who are open, approachable, and genuinely interested in their teams’ experiences foster deeper trust and loyalty. Engagement and wellbeing follow, along with performance and business results.
But in a world where traditional leadership models are increasingly under pressure, where does that leave popular concepts like servant leadership?
A recent Forbes article by Julia Korn (“Servant Leadership Is Broken—Here’s What to Do Instead”) makes a powerful case: servant leadership, once seen as a more human-centred approach, is starting to crack under the weight of modern demands. It often asks too much of leaders – especially women and those from underrepresented groups – without the systems or self-care strategies to sustain it.
That’s where Human Leadership comes in.
Servant Leadership: Good Intentions, Tough Outcomes
Servant leadership has noble roots. Coined by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s, it encourages leaders to put the needs of their team before their own. The benefits are well documented: it builds trust, engagement, and loyalty.
But here’s the catch – in trying to serve everyone else, many leaders forget to care for themselves. They become over-available, overly empathetic, and end up feeling emotionally and mentally depleted. The result? Burnout. Resentment. Confusion around roles and responsibilities. And ultimately, the very people they’re trying to support may suffer too.
As Korn rightly says, “servant leadership without boundaries becomes martyrdom.”
Human Leadership: Leading with Self AND Others in Mind
At POINT3, we believe that wellbeing and performance are two sides of the same coin – and leadership needs to reflect that balance. Human Leadership is our answer to the limitations of servant leadership.
It’s a more evolved, emotionally intelligent way to lead – one that recognises that the best thing you can do for others is to start with yourself.
Human Leadership means:
- Leading from a place of self-awareness and inner clarity.
- Setting healthy boundaries around your time, energy and emotions.
- Listening and empathising, without taking on everyone’s challenges as your own.
- Being compassionate, not self-sacrificing.
- Creating the conditions for others to thrive, rather than fixing everything for them.
- It’s about holding space for others without emptying yourself in the process.
Human vs Servant Leadership
Here’s how the two styles compare:
| Dimension | Servant Leadership | Human Leadership |
| Primary focus | Prioritising the needs of others | Balancing care for others and self |
| Risk | Compassion fatigue, burnout, unclear boundaries | Burnout, blurred role edges |
| Emotional stance | Constant empathy | Empathy with healthy emotional limits |
| Well-being strategy | Unidirectional—serve others | Bi‑directional—serve self and others |
| Structural support | Often relies purely on leader’s intent | Embeds systems: scheduling, clear roles, feedback loops |
Four Shifts Toward More Human Leadership
If you find yourself slipping into unsustainable patterns of servant leadership, try these small but significant shifts – each designed to support your own wellbeing as a leader:
1/ Protect your time
Block out space in your calendar for deep focus, rest, and personal wellbeing.
Don’t feel guilty for not being constantly available.
2/ Lead with “edge empathy”
Be present and empathetic – without absorbing every emotional weight. Recognise where your role ends and theirs begins.
3/ Ask before you act
Instead of jumping in to solve, ask: “What do you need from me right now?” This models healthy boundaries and empowers others.
4/ Redefine responsibility
Get clear on what’s yours to own – and what’s not. Let your team carry their responsibilities with your support, not your rescue.
Why Human Leadership Matters Now
We’re in a new era of work – one defined by complexity, uncertainty, and a growing mental health crisis. Leaders are under more pressure than ever to support their teams, perform, and stay resilient themselves. If you want/need the data to back this up, download our latest insights report here.
Human Leadership offers a more sustainable path. One where empathy and performance go hand in hand. One where wellbeing isn’t an afterthought, but the foundation.
Because when leaders model what it means to be fully human – self-aware, emotionally agile, boundaried, and kind – they create a ripple effect of psychological safety, growth, and trust.
Final Thought
You don’t have to choose between being a compassionate leader and a resilient one.
Human Leadership lets you be both.
So, next time you feel the urge to serve at your own expense, pause. Check in. What do you need first?
Because when you lead from a place of balance, presence, and care – you don’t just show up for others. You raise your human game.
Ready to Lead With More Humanity?
If you’re a leader who wants to develop more sustainable ways of leading – grounded in emotional intelligence, boundaries and wellbeing – our Raise Your Human Game programme is designed for you.
Join a growing community of conscious leaders transforming how they show up for themselves and their teams.
Want to chat to one of the team, contact us here.
