Everything! Great leadership is serving others and helping them be he best they can be.
Over the past several postings I have written about characteristics of a winning formula for success. My postings were inspired by the five characteristics that have made the Butler Bulldogs a consistent high performer in their conference and NCAA basketball tournament year after year. To recap, the five characteristics are: Humility, Passion, Unity, Servant hood and Thankfulness. Today I am writing about Servant hood and leadership.
Butler exhibits a servant attitude to each other and to the outside world. You can not be a great team unless you support and help each teammate be the best they can be. Coach Stevens instills this practice in everything he does with the team and expects his players to do the same. One of Butler’s senior players, Avery Jukes put this trait to use outside the walls of the University after he travelled to Uganda in 2008 and witnessed how Uganda’s education system was failing to deliver a quality education to its children due to inadequate learning supplies, poverty, and lack of schools in the region.
He was so moved by what he saw that he took action and wanted to help make a difference in the lives of children not only in Uganda, but also here in the United States. He started his own foundation, a not-for-profit chapter of Ambassador’s for Children dedicated to serving children in the United States and in Uganda, Africa by participating in events and projects that will enrich the lives of underprivileged children and providing educational financial support for young citizens of Uganda.(http://jukesfoundationforkids.org) That’s leadership!
There are countless examples of individuals taking action to help others. In addition, there are many organizations also giving back and serving the communities in which the live and work. One example is Avalon Bay Communities, Inc. (www.avalonbay.com), in Alexandria, Virginia. Bryce Blair the companies CEO and Chairman wanted to put one of Avalon Bay’s Core Values, “A Spirit of Caring” to work in the communities in which they serve.
Avalon Bay’s associates are proud of their company. One reason is they regularly exhibit their core value of Spirit of Caring through out the organization. Practically every decision involves the question how will this impact our associates, our customers, partners and shareholders. So in 2008, Avalon Bay instituted a company wide Spirit of Caring Day where every member of the company including the CEO took time off to serve and support community activities organized by the company. Avalon even solicited support from their residents and many of them also contributed to supporting these community activities.
Avalon Bay received a lot of recognition for their work. But they did not do it for the recognition they did it to give back to their community, serve and help others to make their lives better. The Spirit of Caring Day was so successful that Avalon now has an annual day set aside to support their local communities. It is one of the most talked about activities amongst the Avalon Bay associates.
So, it begs the question “Why should leaders have a servant attitude?”
First, becoming a servant leader makes you REAL. People love to surround themselves with folks who are REAL. Servant hood is a calling. Serving others is not about you, your ego; it is honestly serving others to help them be better. How inspiring is it for others to work along side you the leader of the organization helping others. Co-workers see the leader engaged in something larger than themselves which makes it that much easier for them to follow and believe in you as their leader.
Being a servant leader also helps you earn the confidence of others. When leaders empathize with others’ circumstances and problems they earn the confidence of those who are facing these challenges. People who are confident in their leaders tend to be more engaged in the organization, its’ direction and mission. Higher workforce engagement can lead to higher customer satisfaction scores, higher client retention rates, higher revenues and profits, and lower turnover of the talent you want to keep.
There are many reasons why it is important to serve as a leader. If it is not your calling, make it one. By being a servant leader you will not only help others, your community,your co-workers, you will be helping yourself.
How are you serving today?