“Being a leader is not about you, it’s about the people you’re serving.”  (Quote from Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges. Quoted in Living With Hope by Michael Panther-p.143)

Leadership, in my view, is sometime a tenuous position. While the goal of leadership should always be to enrich the lives of others, every leader fights the draw of the flesh.  As the quote says, as a leader my #1 priority should be the care and well-being of others. But far too often the primary target is me. How will this make me look? How will this benefit me? How will this advance my name or cause? Not that those questions are totally bad or wrong, but most often they are totally self-serving and self-focused.

As a pastor I have to ask myself on an almost daily basis, “Is this advancing me or the kingdom?” Even if you aren’t a pastor but consider yourself a Jesus-follower, you must ask yourself the same question.

Let’s take it away from that completely. Every leader, every manager, every shift foreman, must ask themselves the question, “Is what I’m doing or suggesting or planning going to advance this company or just me?”

We have heard a lot down through the leaders about servant leadership. Religious or “secular.” I’m unable to count the number of times I have been told or heard a speaker say, “Remember leader: the greatest thing you can give your people/coworkers/employees is to be a servant who seeks their good.” Of course, it should be a given that integrity and honesty should be a quality every leader exhibits, but being a servant is the cornerstone.

Follow the example of the Greatest Leader ever: Jesus. Be a servant, not so you can get back or advance, but because true leadership looks out for the good of others.