Good afternoon everyone,
If you've been following along with me so far, welcome back and if you haven't... welcome! I am so excited to share some exciting news with you all this week. I have officially started as a college recruiter at my alma mater, Enterprise State Community College. Last week we talked just a little bit about the interview process and what it was teaching me about how to actively listen in an online environment. This week, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of the best servant leaders in my life. Many of you have heard the term "servant leadership" before, but how many of you actually know what it means?
According to the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, servant leadership is defined as "a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations, and ultimately creates a more just and caring world." With that being said, I believe that servant leadership places the leader last and the people being served first. Many successful strategic communication professionals have mastered this concept and credit most of their success to it!
This week during one of my online courses through Troy University, I was instructed to watch a TED Talk video by Drew Dudley titled "Everyday Leadership". In Drew's video, he talks about a personal experience he had with a girl who claims that he changed her life. She explained this vivid memory of this life-changing conversation; however, he has absolutely no recollection of the memory that she holds so dear to her heart. Although it did not seem like a large thing to Drew, it was monumental to the young girl. He was a major servant leader in her life without even realizing it.
If you want to hear the full story, which I highly recommend, take a moment to watch this video:
While watching this TED Talk, I was very quickly reminded of a few heroes in my life that have not been celebrated nearly enough. One of the first servant leaders who impacted my life in a huge way is one of my friends named Scottie. I met Scottie my freshman year of college, and he is one of the greatest people I have ever met.
Although he was only a few years older than me, Scottie had been through a lot and was a very wise person. He truly understood the importance of servant leadership. The people in Scottie's life never have to ask for his help because he is always more than willing to lend a hand. He listens well. Scottie is the type of person to use his words wisely. He enjoys having fun, but he doesn't talk to hear himself speak—his words carry weight.
During my sophomore year of college, I was struggling financially due to some very poor money management skills and other extenuating family circumstances beyond my control. I found myself extremely anxious because I was having to make an impossible decision about how I was going to have new tires put on my vehicle after discovering that wires were showing on three out of four of them.
Typically having to get new tires could wait; however, we were in the middle of the semester and I lived approximately twenty-five minutes away from our school. I couldn't skip classes, so I was just having to drive on the very worn-out tires and pray that they would not burst while I was driving down the road.
I tried to keep a smile on my face because I have never liked sharing my weaknesses, but Scottie is so observant that he could tell something was wrong and persistently asked me if I was okay. After about a week of telling him I was okay, he somehow convinced me to confide in him and tell him about my dilemma. He quickly assured me everything would work out and even offered to come to pick me up every morning from my home, 45 minutes away from his, if it came to that. However, I assured him I would be okay.
After that day, he didn’t bring it up again. I continued to drive on the tires and pray for a miracle. About a week later Scottie handed me a folder with notes for a class I had missed and inside there was a wad of cash to purchase a new set of tires. Immediately I tried to refuse the money. I ran to him and told him that I was going to figure it out on my own and I didn’t need his help, but Scottie wouldn’t allow my pride to get in the way of him serving me.
While his monetary help did mean a lot, the servant leadership he showed me changed my life more than he will ever know. By doing this simple act, he put me above himself. He sacrificed his hard-earned money to help a friend in need. Little does Scottie know, that day he inspired me to become more generous.
Scottie taught me three important things about servant leadership:
1. Servant leaders give generously.
Being a servant leader doesn't mean that you have to give all of your money to the people around it, it simply means you are more generous with everything you have. For example, another great servant leader example in my life is my friend named Mary. While Mary does often give gifts, she mainly gives her time. Mary is intentional and she works to make sure that people feel like she has time for them. She is a friend to many and people know that her door is always open.
2. Servant leaders are intentional.
The most successful servant leaders observe the situations and people around them. They long to understand the entire situation before they act. I grew up in a small town in South Alabama where everybody knows everybody. Our town Police Officers are wonderful servant leaders. Not only do they do their assigned job, but they also go the extra mile. One instance, in particular, I can think of is seeing several officers changing a tire for an elderly man on the side of the road. They didn't have to serve him, but they intentionally took time out of their day to help that man better his situation.
3. Servant leaders put themselves last.
Many leaders in today's society want to be in the spotlight. They want to rise to the top of the totem pole so that they can be seen by all, but I believe that servant leaders rise because they are lifting others up. The people I look up most to are the people who encouraged and challenged me to do more and be more. No one wants to follow someone who only cares about themselves.
With all of that in mind, I believe that servant leadership should be one of the main focuses when a person begins to communicate strategically with others. People are more willing to follow you if you are willing to serve them. How can you be a servant leader for those in your life today?
References:
What is servant leadership? (2021). Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/
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