If he works for you, you work for him. (Japanese proverb)
If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35)
At first glance the term servant-leadership might appear to be an oxymoron, although the concept is gaining popularity among writers on leadership. Practical results can come from following a model of leadership that seeks first to serve rather than being served.
Servant-Leadership Was Recommended by Ancient Leadership Consultants
The concept of servant-leadership was recognized as a pattern for success as early as the 10th Century B.C. during the reign of King David’s grandson, Rehoboam.[1] After Solomon’s death, as Rehoboam began his rule over Israel, he was petitioned to lighten the labor and tribute laws that his father had imposed during the building of the temple. His older advisors counseled him, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”[2]
Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the sage advisors, following instead the advice of younger men who told him to make the burdens on the people even greater than his father had done. As a direct result of his failure to follow the model of a servant-leader, Rehoboam lost his rule over the ten tribes that would form the Northern Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam’s leadership. Because he could not understand the concept of a leader serving the people, the Kingdom that had become victorious under David and glorious under Solomon became a divided Kingdom that was never to have the same status it had enjoyed under its second and third monarchs.
Rehoboam collided head-on with the ancient proverb: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”[3] Henry and Richard Blackaby describe pride as one of the most dangerous pitfalls to leaders: “Pride may well be leaders’ worst enemy, and it has caused the downfall of many… pride can cause them to act as if God were their servant, obligated to answer their selfish prayers and to bless their grandiose schemes.”[4] Pride causes leaders to lose compassion for their followers and see them as an expendable resource to reach the leader’s personal goals, rather than the most important resource to be nurtured through the building of relationships.
Leaders who are willing to humble themselves and serve their followers will discover, as Rehoboam’s older advisers knew, that followers will reciprocate with their loyalty. You can draw your own conclusions about how well the stick approach works.
Hint to the Leader
What could you do to make life easier for the people you lead?
Do one thing this week to help each person you lead be more productive, more successful.
Do one thing this week to help each person you lead be more productive, more successful.
Hint to the Follower
Even if you feel your leader is not demonstrating a servant attitude, you can decide to be a servant to the people around you. Look for ways to go the extra mile.
© Dr. Larry N. Gay
Revised May 2008, January 2010
(Tomorrow’s post = Part 2, A Successful Model of Servant Leadership)
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