“He’s a born leader.”
That description sounds great—until someone tries to dump the title on your own shoulders.
Leader? Who me?
Image via Creative Commons
Recently our small bible study group diverged from reading God’s Book and read The Servant Leader, by The One-Minute Manager author, Ken Blanchard and colleague Phil Hodges. In short, they set out to explore how the greatest leader in history—Jesus—led as a humble servant to others.
It was a mind twist to think that a great leader’s role is to be a servant to others. Did you get that? A servant; humbling ourselves to people who are above us in authority, but also to our colleagues as well as people we have authority over.
We lead by example. And the greatest example of the greatest leader, was Jesus, who came to serve.
And lest we think we may be exempt from leadership, we can look at all areas of our lives and all the different hats we wear throughout the day.
We may be the lowest person on the staff totem pole in the office, but do we have leadership (servant) roles with customers, clients, vendors?
Do we not work outside the home but have a leadership (servant) role with a spouse, child, grandchild or parent?
Do we have no family but have an opportunity to be a leader (servant) to a neighbor, friend or grocery store employee?
Or, like me, are you a writer who sits alone in a corner of a closed room, barely emerging long enough to refill the coffee cup and seldom leaving the house, but leading by the very words you write?
When we examine our lives, we find multiple areas where we have the real or potential for leadership. And leadership done right is when we do so with humility, seeking to find a way to make others successful, leading others to resolve answers, leading others to the One who is the greatest servant leader of all time.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? How many leadership roles do you have? Which area is most challenging for you? How might you twist your leadership focus toward servant hood? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
This is a guest post by Carol Petersen. Carol’s mission is to educate, entertain and inspire. You can catch up with her at her website: carolpetersonauthor.com
I’m always looking for guest posters. If you would like to guest post, you can find the guidelines at An Invitation To Guest Post.
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