Servant Leadership

A few years back, I did a little sociological experiment in one of my Junior classes (ages 7-12). The class was split into groups of three, one student was assigned a leadership role in the group, and they were given five minutes to go through a warmup together. There were a variety of leadership styles on display as the drill went underway, some more effective than others. But, perhaps more interesting was the spontaneous development of little societies that took place. Some groups were democratic, making their warmup by discussing and agreeing on what to do next. Some groups were focused on fairness — very focused on coming up with rules. Some groups were achievers who wanted to make the best warmup. Some groups just wanted to have fun. And — of course — some mini-dictators took the reins of power.

Throughout my twenty-six years of teaching so far, I have often encountered children that think being a leader is being a bossy person — a person who demands that people do what they say. And while I do believe there are some circumstances under which a leader must behave decisively and without debate, I do not think this is the default behavior of a leader. Leaders are meant to serve — to help people. That paradigm shift is hard for kids. It’s hard for adults!

Leadership can be done in the background, with little appreciation and even less fanfare. Leadership is sacrifice for the purpose of another’s success. Leadership is empowering others. Leadership requires humility, patience, and even love for others. This type of leadership that puts others first is known in some circles as servant-leadership. When I teach people how to lead, this is what I teach. When leaders learn to value others, they are more effective and more fulfilled.

Nothing I wrote here was meant to be political. Certainly, you could take what I wrote and spin it to be some progressive rant or some conservative diatribe: it is meant to be neither. My servant-leadership philosophy was established long before we got into the political situation in which we now find ourselves. Everyone, including myself, could do with a greater servant-leadership mentality in our lives.

The dictator kids mentioned above — the ones that were bossy with their groups — did not see the long-term ramifications of their dictatorship. Bossiness irritated their teammates; if allowed to continue, their behavior would likely have pushed a wedge between them. Fortunately, we can turn instances like this into teachable moments where the kids can learn a new way to lead (which is exactly what I did).

What about you? How are you leading? If you are a parent reading this, you probably understand the sacrifice part of servant leadership very deeply, but what about the other parts? As you lead, do you try to value and empower others? Or are you taking more of the dictator approach?

Here are some quotes to consider as you evaluate your leadership today.

·      “Leadership is not about you; it's about investing in the growth of others.” - Ken Blanchard

·      “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” - John Maxwell

·      “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be servant of all.” — Jesus (Mark 10:43-44)