Servant Leadership Archives -

Updated on March 19, 2018February 26, 2018BLOG LEADERSHIP

Can serving others transform the way you lead?

I’d like to ask you a question – Can serving others transform the way you lead?

Last Friday, I attended a Leadership retreat at my church. The topic was viewing your work as an opportunity to worship in a way that serves others. As you can imagine – there were several stories heard that day from some very successful CEOs and business leaders who had created a culture of service within their corporate cultures and were transforming the way they connect and lead their teams.

Here is a brief synopsis of those who spoke and the key points they shared.

Phil Vischer – Veggie Tales

Your dream has to be a dream bigger than you but it cannot become your idol and lose sight of God and his glory.
As a Christian leader, your dream is about God and you, your faith, your Godliness, your relationships and your integrity.
What’s more important – your dream or your God? When God gives you a dream and it comes alive, it’s your job to keep God your primary focus.
Pay attention to God’s whispers. Learn to wait on him when necessary. Make it a daily habit of connecting with him with no agenda.
Don’t worry about the outcomes – that’s God’s job. You worry about obedience.
Be aware of your dreams and don’t confused them with misplaced longings. God is enough.

Tom Nelson – Made to Flourish

When you’re focused – live it out – SHARE it.
The more you talk about your vision, the more focused you’ll be at working it every day.
What’s the story you want to tell? What’s it mean to bear much fruit? To bear fruit, you must abide in Christ.
To be faithful, you must be fruitful. To be fruitful, you must be faithful.
Fruitfulness is more than relational – it’s a vast majority of your time. How are you spending the vast majority of your time?
If Jesus was to give you an annual review, what would he say? Where are you doing well and where are some opportunities for growth?

Bryant Ambelang – President, CEO – NatureSweet

The Golden Rule – Do unto others what you want them to do unto you. To do more, you need to LEAD.

5 Elements of unleashing the power of your people

Teach your story
Define your story and what you really really want.
Be intentional – you’ll never fail for a lack of resources, you’ll fail for a lack of intentions.
Outcome is overrated. Build something new – be used in your workplace and in your family.
Be joyful – have joy in your life. What you’re digging is an amazing treasure with each shovel.

Kelly Shackelford – First Liberty Institute

The enemy will always challenge you if you’re going to have an impact.

You’re protected to share your faith.

Norm Miller – Interstate Batteries

Find creative ways to connect with your team and share your love.
Be a good steward of the incredible blessings God has given you.
Be the leader who leads by taking action.
Go beyond your team’s expectations – be compassionate.
Pause every day and thank God for what he has done in your life.
Model Christ – allow your faith to define you.

Bill Hybels – Willow Creek Community Church

God treasures people the most.
As a leader, you have been entrusted to his people.
Share how you met Jesus.
Respect people even those with opposite beliefs but also ask for respect in return.

Patrick Lencioni – The Table Group

To lead, you have to go first.
Help your team identify their areas of improvement.
Constantly remind your people of areas they have to improve in.
Learn to coach –it’s your job.
Be Courageous

There is a common denominator amongst all of these leaders – Do you see it? They serve their people. I noticed each and every one of them talk about their teams and referred to them as team-mates or team members. They weren’t just employees – they each played a valuable role in the overall success of the company. They were valued and they knew it by the way the leader and company served them. You want to transform you culture and make it a better place to be? Find a way to add value back to your team and learn to serve them by putting them first.

I’ll never forget a story I read about a Prince who wanted to desperately connect with his people but because of cultural norms, he was prevented from interacting with them. So he snuck out and disguised himself as a peasant and went on a journey with a group of men from his community. On the journey, he connected with these men and they didn’t know who he was until the very end. But in doing so, he learned how to best serve them because he was willing to remove himself out of his class and become the leader his people needed him to be.

Which of these speakers and lessons speaks to you the most? What will you do with it?

What are your thoughts on servant leadership? And how can I best serve you or your organization? If you’d like to learn more, connect with me and I’d love to help.

To lead is to serve.

Updated on February 15, 2018February 15, 2018BLOG

How are you investing in your relationships?

It’s ironic I’m writing about relationships and it was Valentines’ Day week. But honestly, when I first started writing, I really wasn’t thinking about it. Anyway, I hope you had a day full of love and were able to invest in those relationships that have meaning to you. So Happy Valentines’ Day.

Valentine’s Day kind of relates to my topic this week. Last week I had the chance to travel down to the Caribbean and visit the Bahamas with two of my sisters. It’s not often I get to travel with my family, so I took the opportunity to invest in my relationships with them and I’m glad I did. If you should know anything about me, I value family and I’m extremely thankful for them, especially mine and how connected we are and have been. So many people we met complimented us and mentioned how nice it was we were traveling as a family. It made me wonder, do people still take family vacations?

These kinds of experiences certainly require effort and being intentional about investing in them. Other than my relationship with Jesus Christ, the relationship with my family are some the most meaningful relationships in my life.

Being intentional about investing not only in family relationships, but in others is something I believe makes a significant difference in a leader. Servant leadership, particularly is something I’m especially passionate about because I believe it’s most effective. People want to be valued and by knowing how to best serve your followers allows that value to be felt. In a world that’s filled in chaos and people searching for authentic and genuine relationships, serving others and investing in them is something people value and are looking for. However, when it’s seen, it’s can very unfamiliar and even foreign to some people.

So let me ask you, how important is it for you to invest in those around you? What does serving others even look like to you? How can you begin to serve and invest in those you are leading?

As a leader, how you invest in others is dependent upon how you’re willing to serve them. I’m intentional about adding value and investing in the relationships I’ve formed and continue to form because I’ve experienced the results of maintaining them. As a man of faith, I know it’s my example that others notice. I once heard, the people you are called to lead either need to be watered or need a seed to be planted inside of them to bring about their highest potential. And its your job to do that. If we are called to be salt and light on Earth, then it’s a leader’s job to determine what their example tastes like or how brightly it’s shining for others to see.

This philosophy isn’t something I’ve seen much of in the military, their are a few and when you seen it, it’s an awesome sight and even better when you get to follow in their footsteps. I’ve served in the U.S. Coast Guard for nearly 18 years and it seems this style of leadership is something that is becoming less and less seen despite how much it’s talked about or written in our core values. I don’t mean this as a jab to the military or Coast Guard leaders because it’s something our culture has created and continues to support. People don’t know how to get out of their own way and truly serve others, but the ones who do are making a significant difference in the lives of those they lead.

The Transformation begins with me…if you want change, be it – John C. Maxwell in Paraguay 2016.

For those of you who are leaders or who wants to learn how to best serve those around you – first, learn to be intentional about showing up – it’s the one thing people notice first. Don’t have an agenda. Make them look and feel good and they’ll reciprocate it. Leadership is not managing. It’s not about rank or title or how successful you are or what kind of car or home you own. My friend and mentor, John C. Maxwell once told me, if you have to tell people you’re a leader, you’re not and if think you’re a leader but no one is following you, you’re really just taking a walk.

I say all of this to encourage you as a leader. If you’re unsure where to start. Take an assessment of your leadership style and don’t be afraid to answer some tough questions. Even better, ask those around you for some feedback or take a 360 personal assessment. Gaining awareness as a leader can be incredibly valuable for your growth and effectiveness as a leader.

If you’d like to learn more about leadership development or are interesting in taking a leadership or personality assessment, contact me today to learn more.

Updated on November 16, 2016November 16, 2016BLOG

Are you a Servant Leader?

This past weekend was Veteran’s Day and I attended several Veteran’s Day events and ceremonies. I heard thank you for your service several times which I’m take a lot of pride and honor is wearing it. As a Veteran, we all have something in common – we all have served our country. But let me ask you, how do you define serving? What does that mean to you? What about your service as a leader in your community, team, or organization? As military service members, to serve means we are serving the greater good, we are serving the people of this nation and other nations as well, for the liberties and freedoms this nation was founded upon. We are serving others before serving ourselves and often times our families without expecting anything in return.

But once our time is done and we have hung up our uniforms, those characteristics and qualities of our servant hearts don’t go away. We seek places that will accept us or allow our skills and qualities to be used in the same manner.

Many times, veterans go seeking for employment because they don’t know where they belong in society. But I have discovered that being a servant leader makes a significant difference with those around you. Whether you’re serving customers or serving your team, company or organization, being a servant leader is about putting others first and then taking action.

Author Robert Greenleaf wrote,”Servant Leadership is having the natural feeling to serve first, then consciously choosing to lead”.

I believe people are searching for those leaders to lead them because they themselves are searching for meaning, purpose, and values. They are wanting to grow. They want someone to partner with who will allow them to grow and be apart of something bigger than themselves.

Now as a business owner of my coaching and mentoring company, I still take a lot of pride in those I’m serving because it makes the difference between success and significance. I utilize my strengths and enjoy teaching, coaching, and mentoring others and when I get a chance to speak with others, it helps them and their companies grow and become more successful.

I encourage you rise up as leaders and start living out the example to others and stop talking or thinking about it or waiting for others to do it first. I’ve learned once you show people that you care, they will see it and will naturally follow you and strive to achieve that same standard. Stop relying on your titles and positional power to gain influence and start developing real relationships with your followers. I encourage you to learn the heart of service by volunteering and being a part of the solution and not the problem. And continue to invest in your own personal development as a leader as well as your followers by supporting their goals, dreams and personal development. Doing so will initiate and promote growth within your team or organization?

If you are a leader wanting to grow and develop your skills leading others, be sure to follow me and join my mailing list by clicking here. I am seeking leaders and organizations who are wanting to go further in 2017.

Updated on September 2, 2015August 28, 2015BLOG LEADERSHIP

What is a Mastermind Group?

Mastermind groups are relatively new to most people, even though Napoleon Hill created the concept around 75 years ago with his book, Think and Grow Rich. A mastermind group is designed to help you navigate through challenges using the collective intelligence of others.

How does a mastermind work? A group of like-minded people meet weekly, monthly, daily, to tackle challenges and problems together. They lean on each other, give advice, share connections and do business with each other when appropriate. It’s very much peer-to-peer mentoring and if you are lucky enough to get invited to one, you will most likely see a marked change in yourself and your business.

Here are 7 reasons why a mastermind might be right for you:

You’ll be part of an exclusive community. Joining a mastermind typically involves you being invited by the members or going through an application process. The other members need you just as much as you need them, so quality of experience and knowledge is crucial to all involved.

Advisement. Once you are involved in a mastermind, that feeling of “being alone” while running your business or achieving a life-long dream or goal is gone. The other members of the group turn into business advisors of sorts and vice versa.

Collaboration is the name of the game. You may find someone in the group that is a perfect fit to work on a project with you. Or, you may be the perfect person to help another member as well. The group works together collaboratively, to achieve more together.

Extend your network. Joining a mastermind expands your network exponentially and rapidly. If you are in business, you know how important your network is. By joining a mastermind, you instantly add to your network and typically gain the networks of those in the group with you.

New learning. Everyone in the mastermind is unique in skill, experience and connections. By interacting and sharing your challenges, it’s almost certain that someone in your mastermind will have a solution for you and you may also be able to offer a solution, connection or tactic to help another in the group.

Cross-promotion. When you join a mastermind, you will most likely find ways to help each other by utilizing cross promotion. Finding ways to help each other through promoting to your respective networks.

Think BIGGER. Being in a mastermind will truly give you a Master Mind! You can’t help but think bigger and stretch beyond your boundaries when surrounded by amazing people doing amazing things.

Masterminds are incredible and can do wonders for your business as well as for you, personally. Growing in a group is not only more effective, it’s quite a bit more fun!

I’ll be hosting two new Mastermind groups beginning Sept 29, 2015 for seven weeks discussing John C. Maxwell’s 15 Laws of Growth. Location: Virtual Webinar. Groups will be limited to 10 people per group. Comment below if interested in joining or email me at [email protected]. Cost will be $200 per person.

John C. Maxwell says in order to reach your potential, you must be intentional about personal growth. This training curriculum will help you understand how personal growth really works, and how you can develop yourself to become a more effective and fulfilled individual. You will learn how to build up your sense of purpose and become more successful in every area of your life. Come alongside John in your growth journey to become the person you are destined to be!

Are there tried and true principles that are ALWAYS certain to help a person GROW?

Leadership Author and Guru John Maxwell says the answer is “yes”. He has been passionate about personal development for over forty years, and for the first time, he teaches everything he has learned about what it takes to reach your potential. In the way that only he can communicate, John teaches…

The Law of Intentionality: Growth Doesn’t Just Happen

The Law of Awareness: You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself.

And you will learn so much more…

Updated on August 21, 2015August 21, 2015BLOG Communicating LEADERSHIP

How to become a better thinker.

Author Napoleon Hill said, “More gold has been mined from the thoughts of man than has ever been taken from the earth”. When you take the time to learn how to change your thinking and become a better thinking, you are investing in yourself. Gold mines tap out. Stock markets crash. Real estate investments can go sour. Bet a human mind with the ability to think well is like a diamond mine that never runs out. – John C. Maxwell

Maxwell (2009) lists six ways to becoming a better thinker.

Expose yourself to good input.

What and who are you allowing yourself and your thoughts to be influenced by. What are you reading and how are you developing your thoughts.

2. Expose yourself to good thinkers.

In Proverbs 17:17, we learn that sharp people sharpen one another, just as iron sharpens iron. Are those around you sharpening you or making your dull?

3. Chose to think good thoughts.

Thinking is a discipline. Learning to capture every thought is easier said than done. But once you hone this skill, you’ll begin to realize the good and bad thoughts and how those thoughts are influencing your actions and behaviors.

4. Act on Good Thoughts.

Ideas have a short shelf life. You must act on them before the expiration date (Maxwell,2009). It’s been said that the human brain thinks up to 50,000 thoughts and ideas every single day. That’s a lot of thoughts.

5. Allow your emotions to create another good thought.

Don’t ever give in your thoughts based on your emotions or feelings. Have you ever done that and later regretted it? I know I have.

6. Repeat the process.

Momentum also makes a huge difference. When you have no momentum, even the simplest tasks can seem to be insurmountable problems. But when you have momentum on your side, the future looks bright, obstacles appear small, and trouble seems temporary. But once you start thinking good thoughts and capturing them, it’s like the gold miner who is mining for gold. Once they find it, they continue the process.

Updated on May 22, 2015May 22, 2015BLOG Communicating LEADERSHIP

How do you define Leadership?

The definition of leadership and what makes a successful leader has been an ongoing debate. From 1900 to present day, this debate has evolved into many theories, which has shaped our thoughts and behaviors on leadership, what the best approach is and what defines a leader. With the increase in the global environment, these theories have created an unclear message in how are leaders are defined and which is the best approach for organizations to take.
Leadership was once perceived to be reserved only for “Great Men” who were born with natural traits and abilities of a leader. Coining the phrase “Great Man theory” because only great men of notoriety and significance were considered leaders (Northouse, 2010). With the developing interest in leadership, in particular to a leader’s skills, behaviors and actions towards his/her followers, the “Great Man” theory was questioned and many others theories were developed and the pursuit of defining leadership theory evolved.

Global Change

These leadership theories have significantly changed how leadership is defined and thought of throughout the 20^th century. With the baby-boomer generation for example, leadership was about getting the job done and achieving the end result. However, with the increase in the global environment, specifically with the Y generation, leadership has shifted from results based to performance based. Leadership roles have changed and have become more about quality and effectiveness and building effective teams and relationships with their followers.

Call to Action

Leadership guru John Maxwell has been quoted saying that “Everything rises and falls on leadership, but knowing how to lead is only half the battle. Understanding leadership and actually leading are two different activities”. Leaders today, must be aware of this and not only know the theories but know their own style of leadership and how to apply it. Scholar without action is a mute point. You can study all of these leadership theories and understand them but if you’re not actually applying your knowledge and making a difference, then you’ll never know what leadership is about and what you’re capable of.

Leaders need to rise up and start being the example to others. Followers want a leader they can trust to lead them to success. Trust is vital to the leader-follower relationship and must be earned; it requires the leader to serve their followers by serving them first as Greenleaf (2002, p. 12) stated.

Leaders can no longer rely on their titles and positional power to gain influence; instead followers are demanding a leader who actually leads. Leaders must learn the heart of service by volunteering and being a part of the solution and not the problem. Leaders must continue to invest in themselves and their followers by supporting leadership and the professional development that will initiate and promote growth and change.

Leadership is changing and will continue to evolve. The successful leaders know this and understand that leadership is a process that made up a team. John Maxwell teaches the Law of process and that leadership “is developed daily, not in a day” (Maxwell, 2007). If we can learn anything from history, the successful leaders are the resilient leaders who are out there leading and learning and attempting to make a difference.