Service: The Secret to Leadership That Lasts
We’ve all seen the boss from the movies: the one who sits in the corner office, barks orders, and expects everyone to cater to their every whim. For many, this is the primary reason they hesitate to seek a promotion, because they think that is what leadership is, and they are not that type of person.
If that is how you feel, I have good news: that is not leadership. That is a dictatorship, and it
rarely lasts.
Effective leadership has roots in a completely different principle: service over self. The goal of a leader is not to be served by others, but to serve them and empower them to use their unique gifts for the betterment of the whole team.
The Professional Mechanic Mindset
To understand why service is so vital, think about a common household problem. If your air conditioning breaks in the middle of a hot summer, you don’t just sit in the heat. You call a professional repair person. Because they have a specific set of skills and knowledge that you don’t, they are able to help you move closer to your goal of a cool house.
In a company, everyone you lead has unique abilities and talents. However, if they lack the resources or support they need to use those talents, their potential is wasted. As their leader, your job is to be the professional who ensures they have exactly what they need to be the best they can be in their specific role.
When you adopt a servant mindset, you realize that effective leadership ultimately elevates the team being led above the person leading.
The DNA of a Servant Leader
Service isn't a vague concept; it is built on three practical actions that you can start practicing today, whether you are at the office or at a kids' sporting event.
Knowing Your People: You cannot serve someone you do not know. Knowing your team means understanding their strengths and weaknesses. When you show your team that you care enough to study them, they are more likely to care about you and the overall goals you are trying to reach together.
Providing Support: A leader's primary responsibility is to support those under them so they can succeed. You cannot expect a person to perform a task well if you haven't given them the opportunity or the resources to do so. When people know they have your full support, they will almost always give more of themselves to the mission.
Adding Value: Ineffective leaders focus on what value others can bring to them. Effective leaders are constantly thinking of ways they can provide value to their team and their community. Leadership is about building and supporting the community around you, not using that community to build yourself
Service Starts at Home
The beauty of this pillar is that it doesn't just apply to your vocation. It is a way of life that transforms your home and community.
As a parent, you are the leader of your children’s lives. If you teach them nothing and hope for the best, you aren't leading them; you are potentially setting them up for hardship. By serving your children, training them, supporting their growth, and modeling a servant’s heart, you are training them to be leaders in their own future careers.
When you lead with a servant mindset in your home, vocation, and community, you begin to build a culture of service that is nearly impossible to stop.
Your Small Step for Today
Leadership is not about the tricks you can do; it’s about the mechanics of how you treat people. You can begin developing your serving abilities today with one simple act: Pay it forward.
Identify a coworker or a friend and show them some love without expecting anything in return. Pick up their lunch tab or bring them their favorite caffeinated drink. This easy act of service will help you see people in a deeper, more meaningful way and set you on the path toward becoming a leader whose influence truly lasts.
