Servant Leadership: Three Strategies to Promote Staff Retention Through Service

Building Loyalty and Reducing Turnover Through Authentic Staff Support and Recognition

Rebecca Feilmann, MA

Head of School

Colorado Early Colleges Windsor

Careers are not what they used to be. Loyalty to a single company until retirement is largely an outdated concept. Employees are staying only long enough to move on to the next opportunity, causing turnover rates to rise across industries.

How can leaders combat turnover and foster the kind of loyalty once common in the workplace? If you are in a leadership role and experiencing frequent staff turnover, it may be time to reflect on your leadership style and the strategies you use to support retention. Are you truly serving the staff you lead?

Servant leadership keeps staff coming back year after year—even when things become challenging.

The Interview: Are You Hiring the Right People?

Serving your staff begins with hiring individuals who are not only the right fit for the role, but also for the organizational culture. Negative cultures often stem from a lack of diversity, perspective, and emotional intelligence.

Are you asking emotionally intelligent interview questions?

• Tell us about a time you failed at something. How did you handle it?
• Tell us about a time you received feedback you disagreed with. How did you respond?

Emotionally intelligent candidates will provide examples that reflect a growth mindset—solutions-focused, empathetic, and team-oriented. Be cautious of interviewees who skirt the question or respond from a fixed mindset.

Getting to Know Your Staff: Serving Individual Needs

Your staff are human beings who want to feel heard and valued. How are you celebrating wins? What does your open-door policy truly look like? Are you asking for input—and, more importantly, acting on it?

Employee engagement surveys, often administered by HR, can provide useful data about morale, culture, and leadership support. While valuable, these surveys rarely capture what matters most to employees on a personal level: what they truly value.

Ask questions such as:

• Do you find value in a weekly newsletter? (And yes—are you sending one? Many meetings can be an email.)
• What would you like for this year’s professional development?
• Do you have ideas for improving workplace culture?

Most importantly, ask:

How do you prefer to receive praise?

You may be surprised to learn that many employees do not enjoy public recognition. In a recent poll of my own staff, only a small number preferred being recognized in front of the entire group.

Private and Quieter Recognition

Some staff members enjoy being highlighted in a newsletter—celebrated without being placed in the spotlight. (Yes, that newsletter again.)

Another effective strategy is the “Rain Bucket.” In my building, each staff member has a pencil holder turned “bucket” that collects “raindrops”—short notes of gratitude or recognition written by colleagues. Staff have unlimited drops to share, such as:

• Thank you for subbing for a class at the last second.
• Thank you for your help with the book fair.
• You are a traffic rock star!

Personal praise—via message or in person—also goes a long way:

• That was awesome. I’m proud of how you solved that problem.
• You’re amazing! Congratulations on getting into grad school.
• I’m grateful for your help today. Thank you for giving up your planning time.

Notice that each compliment includes a reason. Behavior-specific praise isn’t just for kids—it matters for adults too.

Consider using a “get to know me” survey. The best value surveys include an “about me” section. Many staff appreciate recognition in the form of small treats or gestures—it’s your job to learn their preferences and surprise them when they need encouragement.

Finally, laugh with your staff. Building genuine relationships allows for shared humor and connection. When you know people beyond their roles, it becomes easier to navigate performance or conduct conversations when they arise.

Open Door Policy: Are You Serving or Swerving?

How do you respond when staff bring concerns, questions, or requests for coaching? Your reaction to mistakes—both theirs and your own—will define your leadership reputation.

An open-door policy means your door is metaphorically open even when it’s physically closed. There is nothing more important than your people. Meetings can wait; there will always be meetings. When staff need you urgently, be available. Learn to triage what truly requires immediate attention versus what can wait.

Hard Conversations

Approach difficult conversations with a restorative mindset. Ideally, you’ve already built a relationship that allows for trust in these moments.

Ask yourself:

• How can I help them resolve the issue?
• If the issue involves me, how can I reflect and repair the harm?
• What support do they need to move forward?

Listen carefully. Is the concern related to others, to their role, or to expectations? What would make things better? Ask for their input.

When mistakes happen, seek to understand their mindset and contributing factors. Can the situation become a learning opportunity? Do they understand the impact? Are expectations clear moving forward? Have you offered the necessary support?

Leaning into conflict becomes much easier when trust is established—when staff know you approach challenges with empathy, accountability, and a growth mindset rooted in service.

Focusing on who your staff are, how you can best serve them, and consistently putting those insights into practice will promote stronger retention and a healthier, more committed team—one worth the time and energy you’ve invested.