True leaders and great managers, when it comes down to the bottom line, are one thing: servants. I have seen time after time when someone who has never been in management or leadership are unexpectantly installed there, that their entire personality starts to change from who they were and what got them there, to being demanding, harsh and bossy.
They don't know it, but it's not going to be very long before they are either gotten rid of or undermined by their fellow workers.
Lao-Tzu, founder of Taoism said once, “The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, We did it ourselves.”
Jesus said, “. . . let the greater among you be as the younger, and the leader as he that serves.” He even went on to say that He was there as one who serves.
Everything else in management and leadership springs from this. You're not to think of yourself as over people but rather their servants. It's shocking for those who get this, to see how they draw more from the wells of water deep within their people, than those who have to battle, fight, threaten and bully to get what is needed to be done accomplished.
Learn to be a servant. You can never lose if you do.
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Gary Bourgeault, over at ManagersRealm, posts this one on "Leaders are really only one thing..."
True leaders and great managers, when it comes down to the bottom line, are one thing: servants.
Gary's assertion:
Posted by: Skip Reardon | June 2, 2006 6:25 AM | Permalink to Comment