๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ
The Hidden Energy Cost of Leadership
One of the toughest lessons I have learned in two decades of multifamily leadership is this: results achieved through pressure always come with a hidden cost.
I have seen it on-site when a property manager pushes a leasing team with relentless urgency to meet monthly numbers. The goal gets met, the units are leased, but a week later someone is calling HR to explore other opportunities. I have seen it at the regional level when a leader relies on hierarchy and authority to drive compliance. Reports get turned in, but resentment simmers quietly until a talented employee resigns. And I have seen it in executive suites where leaders themselves burn out under the weight of sustaining pressure, control, and constant vigilance.
This model of leadership does bring short-term results. There is no denying that. But the long-term cost is heavy: burnout, disengagement, turnover. The very energy you pour into pressing people forward drains the system until nothing is left to give.
The Energy Equation of Traditional Leadership
When leadership relies on pressure, it treats energy as expendable. The assumption is that if you push harder, people will deliver more. But human energy is not infinite. It needs to be renewed and replenished, not constantly extracted.
The signs of energy debt are everywhere in our industry. Burnout shows up in higher sick days, sharper tones in emails, and reduced innovation. Quiet quitting becomes the norm when employees mentally clock out but physically stay because they need the paycheck. Talented people leave, not because they cannot do the job, but because the job feels like it is taking more from them than it gives back.
Leaders are not immune either. When control is the default mode, leaders spend their days carrying the weight of everyone elseโs performance. That burden does not just drain the team; it drains the leader too.
A Different Model: Servant Leadership
Now imagine leadership that does not extract energy, but multiplies it. This is the essence of servant leadership.
The role of the leader shifts dramatically:
Instead of creating barriers, you remove them.
Instead of controlling, you coach.
Instead of exhausting, you energize.
The research supports this shift. Harvard Business Review found that organizations practicing servant leadership see 21 percent higher profits, 67 percent stronger retention, and 87 percent higher engagement. These numbers confirm what many of us have experienced firsthand: when people feel supported rather than squeezed, performance rises naturally.
The Real Impact Beyond Statistics
But the real impact goes deeper than percentages on a page. I have walked into meetings where people feel safe to speak up because they trust that their ideas will be heard. The energy in the room is completely different from a meeting where everyone is guarded and defensive.
I have seen site teams lean into challenges with creativity because they know their leader has their back. Instead of dragging themselves into work to meet quotas, they show up with genuine motivation. Effort flows without constant reminders.
And I have seen servant leaders leave meetings more energized than when they walked in. That is the opposite of the draining effect so many leaders accept as normal. In servant leadership, the energy you give away does not disappear. It multiplies and comes back to you.
Why Leaders Resist the Shift
If servant leadership is so effective, why do so many leaders stick with the pressure model? In my experience, there are three reasons.
First, speed. Pressure produces quick results. In the short term, it looks efficient. Coaching takes more time up front, but it produces deeper capability that lasts.
Second, tradition. Many of us learned leadership from models built on hierarchy and control. Breaking those habits requires intentional unlearning.
Third, fear. Servant leadership asks leaders to trust their people. That can feel risky in an industry where compliance, deadlines, and financial results are always on the line. But in reality, servant leadership builds more accountability, not less, because people feel ownership rather than obligation.
Practical Shifts to Multiply Energy
Servant leadership is not an abstract philosophy. It shows up in small, practical choices leaders make every day. Here are three shifts I have seen transform teams:
From inspection to inquiry. Instead of asking โWhy is this late?โ ask โWhat is getting in the way, and how can I help remove it?โ
From directives to dialogue. Replace one-way instructions with coaching conversations that build problem-solving capacity.
From pressure to presence. In moments of stress, show up grounded rather than frantic. Your calm becomes the teamโs anchor.
These shifts do not mean lowering standards. In fact, standards rise because people feel trusted and supported. The difference is that performance comes from energy and ownership, not exhaustion and fear.
A Story From the Field
One regional I worked with made this shift intentionally. Early in her career, she led by command. Her emails were filled with capital letters and hard deadlines. She got results, but she also went through three property managers in less than two years.
After coaching, she began practicing servant leadership. She started her weekly calls by asking managers what barriers she could remove for them. She shifted from micromanaging numbers to developing their decision-making skills. Within six months, turnover in her portfolio dropped dramatically. Site level engagement scores rose. And she told me something I will never forget: โI feel like I can finally breathe. Iโm not carrying all of this alone anymore.โ
Her results proved the point. Retention improved, residents noticed better service, and she herself was more motivated. She was not just sustaining performance. She was multiplying energy across her portfolio.
Executive Reflection
True leadership is not about sitting on top of a pyramid, issuing commands to those below. It is about building a foundation where everyone can rise together.
The hidden energy cost of traditional leadership is too great. It drains teams, erodes culture, and exhausts leaders themselves. Servant leadership offers a different path. It creates safety, fuels engagement, and multiplies energy across the system.
So here is the question I am asking myself, and I invite you to ask it as well: Am I leading in a way that extracts energy, or in a way that multiplies it?
Because when the energy you give away comes back stronger, you are not just managing operations. You are sustaining people, culture, and performance for the long term.
That is the true work of leadership.
