SCRIPTURE: “You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do” – John 13:13-15 MSG
QUOTE: “The first and most important choice a leader makes is the choice to serve, without which one’s capacity to lead is severely limited” – Albert Pine
NOTES:
It was John Maxwell who said “the first step to Leadership is Servant-hood.” Leadership is not about the position we hold but about what we can do for the people who follow us. Servant-hood in leadership refers to the focus and commitment we have on the needs of the people we lead. When leaders serve others, they gain followers through valuing, and respecting every person they come in contact with. They listen attentively. They solicit ideas, ask questions, want opinions, look for participation, and value all feedback. To be a leader, remember authority comes from the people you lead, not from yourself. Focus on benefiting others, admit mistakes, and ask how you can do better next time. A wise man once said “All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.” Leaders must serve the people they lead. Collin Power once said “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership”.
ILLUSTRATION:
Nelson Mandela was an example of a leader that sought to serve. Nelson Mandela’s vision was to create a more just world and he used his leadership (influence) to help make this vision a lived reality. He reflected upon this vision when he stated: “During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die for.”
Nelson Mandela served and also motivated others to pick up the mantle of leadership and work to end apartheid.
REFLECTION:
Are you a servant leader? Is serving the people you lead a priority to you? Do you prioritize the needs of your followers ahead of your own desires?
TWO YEAR BIBLE READING: 2 Chronicles 27 – 28, Psalm 68