Serving Leaders

Debbie became more enthusiastic about her team and her work over the next few weeks. She was beginning to see how all of what Jeff was teaching her fit together. As the day of their next meeting approached, she thought about the question she had asked at the end of their last meeting. I wonder who he’ll select as the leaders who best put the principles of SERVE into practice?

On the morning of their meeting, Debbie headed for Jeff’s office with her newfound sense of optimism. I’ve learned so much. This mentoring has been a great experience!

They began by sharing what was going on in their personal lives. From the beginning, Jeff had always expressed interest in her life, both at work and outside the office.

Turning to the business at hand, Jeff asked, “Have you had any fresh insights since our last meeting?”

“Yes, quite a few,” Debbie said with some satisfaction in her voice.

“Like what?”

“If it is to be, it is up to me.”

“I learned that the ideas you shared actually work! Also, as I began to think about establishing and living the values of our orga -nization, I realized that ‘if it is to be, it is up to me.’”

“Excellent!” Jeff responded enthusiastically.

Debbie continued, “Here’s what I mean by that. Not only do I win or lose credibility based on how well I embody the values, but I also set the tone and the example for my team. No one controls how well I do this except me. I guess it’s just part of being a leader.”

“You’ve got it. If your heart is right and your head is clear, that should help keep your hands aligned with the values. Thanks for sharing that insight. Anything else we need to cover before we pick up where we left off last time?” Jeff asked.

“I don’t think so. Let’s go straight to my last question. Who are the leaders—past or present— who you think best put the SERVE behaviors into practice on a daily basis?”

“I gave a great deal of thought to your question,” said Jeff.

Debbie was eager to hear who he had in mind. “And?” she prodded.

“One person I thought of was Nelson Mandela. Here’s a guy who was wrongly jailed for almost twenty-eight years, yet when he was finally released he wasn’t angry. He came out with a desire to serve and help. He even invited his jailers to his inauguration when he was elected president of the Union of South Africa. He had a vision of the future. He gathered people around him he could develop, and he seemed to be learning all the time, even when he was in jail. Mandela certainly valued people and results, and he walked the values. He really did it all.”

“You’re right—he’s a remarkable man,” said Debbie. “You know, somebody similar to Mandela who I’d like to have dinner with someday is Jimmy Carter. I mean, he wasn’t considered the greatest president while he was in office, but I think he’ll go down as the greatest ex-president of all time. He’s created an incredible team to build thousands of homes for the poor through Habitat for Humanity. And he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work facilitating peace talks in troubled areas of the world. He certainly is modeling a leader who is selfless and willing to serve.”

“That’s a good one,” said Jeff. “I’d love to have dinner with him, too.”

“Who else?” Debbie asked.

“You know who came to my mind right away? Jesus of Nazareth.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” said Jeff. “Here’s a leader who essentially hired twelve inexperienced people and developed them into leaders who could carry on after he was no longer there in bodily form. When people asked him questions, his answers always showed a servant heart. ‘How do you lead?’ ‘By following.’ ‘How can I be first?’ ‘By being last.’ He said that even he had come to serve, not to be served. He symbolized his whole philosophy of servant leadership at the Last Supper, where he washed the feet of the disciples and told them essentially, ‘Just as I have done for you, you must do for others.’ He constantly was talking about the future. He engaged his followers. He was continually challenging people to change not only themselves but also each other and their organizations. He cared about both people and results. And he certainly embodied the values.“

“That’s interesting,” Debbie replied. “I doubt that most people would think of Jesus as a leadership role model. But now that you mention it, his organization has been around for two thousand years. I wonder how many Fortune 100 companies will be around in two hundred years, let alone two thousand? Jesus might be the greatest servant leadership model of all.”

“I certainly think so. So how about you? What great leader of the past might you want to have dinner with?”

Debbie thought for a minute. “How about Martin Luther King Jr.? Of all the great leaders I recall reading about, he’s one who had a truly powerful vision—a dream that one day people wouldn’t be judged by ‘the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’ He saw the future, engaged others, and embodied all the other qualities we’ve talked about.”

“Yeah, Dr. King would be a really good choice.”

Debbie saw that their time was nearly up. “Do you have any homework questions for me this week?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “Just study your notes. At our next meeting—which will be our last, you know— we’ll spend our time reviewing what we’ve talked about over the last year or so. You’ve done well, so it will be a fun session.”

Debbie felt pleased by Jeff’s compliment and at the same time sad that their sessions were coming to an end.

“This has been an interesting discussion,” she said as she headed for the door. “Interesting enough that I’m going to have to give the subject more thought.”

Jeff smiled and repeated something she’d heard him say before. “Leaders always have a lot to think about, Debbie.”