For some reason, I’ve been contemplating servant leadership. Several years ago I met a company president who proclaimed that concept. He supposedly followed a book by that name. The model was Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. He often gave gifts of a model of a sculpture from that scene.
I met the author of that book at a conference once. To be blunt, he left me a bit cold or put-off. That president? He didn’t look very much like a servant leader when he sold his company and promptly disappeared without telling anyone at the company that they were most likely all going to lose their jobs.
This was perhaps the wrong model, anyway. People probably don’t want that type of leadership in the extreme.
Let’s take two other examples.
Moses had a mission. God told him to take the leadership of moving the Hebrews out of Egypt. They had been there a long time. It was all they knew. Moses had a mission and a vision to change that.
So, they left Egypt. One day in the desert, Moses’ father-in-law showed up. He saw a huge queue of people waiting to get a few minutes of Moses’ time in order to settle various complaints. Jethro says, in effect, “Moses, you’ve forgotten your job as a leader. You keep the people focused on the mission and train other people to handle all these details.”
Jesus started a mission. He recruited and attracted disciples to help carry out the mission. He trained them through teaching, having them observe him, and then also providing practical experience.
I have seen far too many so-called leaders who have no clue about all this. Either they are ego-driven (and thus not thinking of others which is the foot-washing example) or they are, especially in the business world, totally driven by numbers. Church people and educators get driven by fads and programs.
The leader reminds people constantly about the mission. Maybe it’s providing a product or service that people need. Maybe it’s about giving people meaning in their life. Or maybe it’s about serving people with food and comfort.
The leader then recruits a team. Teaches them, guides them, reminds them constantly of the mission.
A leader cannot afford to get lost in the weeds. A leader must remain firmly focused on the mission. There is a mission. A team forms. They change the world.
Faith Venture 
April 29, 2013 at 7:27 am |
There’s a motto that a popular fast food chain uses when interviewing possible managers. Before the interview they ask them to go in the back and take out the trash. If they hesitate, they don’t get the job.
Are you willing to take out the trash?
April 29, 2013 at 10:19 am |
That’s a great story. I had not heard it before. Perfect illustration. I used to read about Dave Thomas, long after he had retired, visiting a Wendy’s restaurant and showing employees how to flip a burger.