Servanthood?

Looking back to the Signature Leadership course that I worked on a couple months back, I realized that there are about 40 pages of notes I can either toss or keep for future reference. After reviewing some of the first pages, I found a large portion of my notes revolved around servanthood. Dr. Jeff Myers discussed this often throughout the course and I thought it would be interesting to write a blog post on the topic.

The first question that Dr. Myers asked at the beginning of the 25 minute lecture was this: "Are you a leader who serves or a servant who leads?" This sounds puzzling, but it's really not very complicated. A "leader who serves" is a person who is thought of as an important figure in society who serves others from "high places". But it's quite possible for a "servant" to lead. And this type of leading is by example. We don't have to be the most important person in the world, the richest, or the smartest to be a leader. We can be a servant leader right where we are. What we do with every choice we make, will influence the decisions that those who look to us for guidance will make.

But how do we serve effectively in a world where people go their own way and listen to their own judgement (whether it be good or bad)? Dr. Myers explained "serve" in the following way: "S" stands for "seeing the future". Not really "knowing" what's going to happen, but thinking ahead before making decisions and  foreseeing where those choices could lead, is an important way to avoid trouble later on. "E" stands for "engaging others". Of course, it's much easier to engage extroverted personalities than introverted; but it's still a good idea to at least try to get them thinking and participating in events. "R" stands for "reinventing". As leaders, we can think of new and better ways to go about making positive changes. An example would be CollegePlus. CP is a great way for students to earn credits online (and through testing centers), pay less for higher education, and get a degree much sooner than going the brick and mortar college route. Somebody thought of the idea and made it happen. "V" and "E" are quite similar, so I'd like to put the definition together. Both stand for valuing results and relationships, and embodying those values.  Even if those you lead only make slight changes in the right direction, at least it's a step towards progress. By encouraging them to keep moving forward, they'll gain more confidence in themselves and work harder to conquer even greater challenges.

I decided on this topic for this blog post, because servanthood is something that is lacking in our world today. Of course, there are greater things that are lacking in this world; but when people lead by example, others are sure to follow. Even the smallest things like a smile, a kind word, or a thank you note can mean the world to gaining people's respect and trust.

As I finalized my thoughts, I read the final note: "Christianity does not fail people; people fail people". As a friend, CP sister, daughter, niece, and granddaughter, I don't want to fail people by leading them in the wrong way, on the wrong path. God put me here to be an encouragement and a servant to those who call me any of the above titles. He didn't put me here to tear them down and to make them feel like dirt: that's why I believe the topic of servanthood needs to be practiced and implemented in our Christian world--to make that impact needed, not just for our saved family members and friends, but also to those who do not know Christ as their personal Savior.

In Christ,

Anna