We live in an instant society. Dry cleaning done in one hour or less. Microwaveable food. Direct deposit (my personal favorite). Nail polish that dries in 10 seconds. These are extremely convenient commodities, but they force us to take on the “me, Me, ME!” attitude, and we forget that sometimes in order to be a leader you must know how to serve. What is your definition of a leader? What is your definition of a servant?
Leader (from Dictionary.com of course) - A guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
A leader is someone who guides and directs. This could be a team for one of your classes, a project team at work, a sports team, etc. Now, what is the definition of a servant?
Servant (thank you Dictionary.com) - One who expresses submission, recognizance, or debt to another.
A servant is submissive. A servant recognizes that they would not be where they are if not for their teammates.
The definition of servant leadership is as follows:
One who expresses submission while guiding or directing a team, group, or movement.
What does that mean? How can you submit and lead at the same time? I’ll tell you:
• Learn to listen-God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason!
• Trust your teammates-If at any time you doubt the integrity of one of your teammates, this needs to be addressed.
• Admit your mistakes-Nobody likes a person who points the blame! Pointing blame goes back to the Bible days. When God saw that Adam and Eve were naked he asked why. What was Adam’s response? “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Instead of admitting that he made a mistake he put the blame on Eve. Eve was no better! Her answer? “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” She could have said, “God, I messed up. I was enticed. I made a mistake.” Nope! She placed the blame on the serpent! Admit your mistakes. It may hurt in the beginning but you will be a better leader in the end if you do.
• Reward your teammates-Everyone likes a little recognition from time to time! I know we’re all short on money, but even a $5 gift card to Panera Bread will brighten someone’s day. A little recognition goes a long way. When your team is happy they work harder!
I could go on for days, but I just wanted to tickle your fancy a bit. If you’d like more resources on servant leadership please feel free to comment or send me an email.
—
Kari L. Brown offers coaching and mentoring to high school and college students struggling with succeeding academically and maintaining a healthy relationship with God. For more information visit www.karilbrown.com.
