I have always been fascinated with leadership. I’m not exactly sure why. I’ve coached people who are passionate about art, music, science, business, hang gliding, video game animation, computers… and I could go on and on. For all these people their passion comes so natural to them. They never thought twice about cultivating these things they just… did. For me, it’s leadership. I really love to study leaders, good, bad and ugly. It is so interesting to me to watch how people choose to exercise their influence. I’m certainly not saying that it is my only interest, I’m just saying it is one of those things that intrigues me naturally. From great leaders like Winston Churchill, to wicked leaders like Hitler… from famous leaders like the President, to the leaders in the home, known only to their children who follow, watch, listen and imitate the influence of their parents. I’ve played many leadership roles in my life, and been affected by many leaders throughout my life… all for my good. So I thought I would use my blog to share some of my thoughts on leadership…
Leadership is about influence. If you have no influence, you are not in any place of leadership. Influence is very subtle, so don’t be quick to label yourself as a non-leader… I would say there are very few people who truly exercise no influence on anyone. For me what is so interesting is the way people choose to use their influence. You can use your influence to control or release. You can use your influence to build or destroy. You can use your influence for… well, you get the point. For me Leadership Lesson #1 is: great leaders us their influence to serve. Obviously I can’t speak to this lesson without mentioning the greatest leader of all time… Jesus. Jesus said himself,
"You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.
But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT)
So whether you are a follower of the teachings of Jesus or not, his leadership is unmatched. His influence on history is undeniable and cannot compare to any other person. What was his leadership lesson #1: be a servant! If Jesus was that clear on this issue I say we pay attention.
Servant leadership is not babysitting-leadership or coddling-leadership. I would also say that servant leadership is not meet-everyone’s-needs-leadership. Jesus certainly does not reflect any of those characteristics if you study his life and leadership. Servant leadership is about using your influence to serve those who follow. Obviously I can’t write about every component of servant leadership… mostly because I’m probably not the best example. So here’s something to think about in our shared pursuit of strong leadership.
The quality of service is determined by those who are being served. Today for my mother-in-laws birthday we went to The Cheesecake Factory (oh, I love the Orange Chicken!) and we had a great waiter serve us. But how did he know I thought he was a great server? Maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t… how was he to know? Leaders are in the same situation… do you know if you are being a SERVANT leader? LISTEN CLOSELY… you may THINK you are, but those who are following KNOW if you are! You can’t fake this.
It is irrelevant if you think you are a servant leader… it is ONLY relevant if those who are being influenced by you know you are genuinely concerned about them. Do they know, not think, that you are using your influence for them? Or do they know that you are using your influence for YOU? A servant by definition is one who is working in the service of another. We have promoted and idolized a position that was meant to be subordinated. The Greatest Leader said truly great leaders are servants. This is not easy… so here’s my advice to start: go be with those you influence. Get to know them. With no agenda. If this feels like a step down… you probably think to highly of yourself! If you don’t care… you are not a servant leader! And everyone around you knows it.
