Servant Leadership

They are not mutually exclusive terms. On the contrary. They are forever linked.

There is a biblical story in the book of John, chapter 13. The end of Jesus’ life on earth was approaching and he knew it. But his disciples still didn’t quite understand all that was going on and just how soon the crucifixion would take place.

It was just before Passover and Jesus was eating a meal with his disciples. During the meal he got up and proceeded to wash his disciples’ feet. Peter, in his naive way, asked for his head and his hands to be washed. Jesus asked if he really understood what he was doing. He said I’ve washed your feet now you go do the same for someone else. The disciples referred to him as Teacher and Lord yet he was doing the work of a servant.

As you approach your day today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on, be the kind of leader that washes the feet of your followers. The people in your organization won’t care much about you until they know how much you care about them. That’s paraphrased from the original quote. But you get the idea, right?

Be a leader by being a servant.