When you think of the word “serve”, what comes to mind? Do you think of a waitress or some other form of pleasing others? Do you think of leaders? If not, you should. The truth is responsible leaders are servants. “Servants to whom?” you may ask. Servants to your team, that’s who.
The real question is not to whom, but how. How can you lead responsibly and still serve your team (as if leading is not hard enough)? In order for you to be a responsible leader, you have to recognize that there are 2 key tasks you must fulfill.
The vision and the execution.
It is your responsibility to communicate what the organization stands for and wants to accomplish. Just as kids look to their parents and players look to their coaches, people are looking to you (their leader) for guidance and vision. In this role of a visionary, you are behaving like a responsible leader.
Now that they know where they are going, people will now look to you (the leader) to fulfill the second task of responsible leadership. The Execution! How will you get the team to the finish line? I’ll tell you how. You will become a bridge builder. As a responsible leader you will try to find out what makes people perform well and bridge the gap between their performance and your vision. That’s when you begin to make positive impacts on the lives of those around you. When you make an impact on your team, you are making an impact on the entire organization as well.
So you see; it’s not that bad. As responsible leaders you understand that the only way to truly have an impact on any organization is to serve the people in that organization. You know that it is your responsibility to leave the organization better off than before you arrived on the scene. You are there to service your team and to build bridges.
What type of bridge you will build is totally up to you.
The real question is not to whom, but how. How can you lead responsibly and still serve your team (as if leading is not hard enough)? In order for you to be a responsible leader, you have to recognize that there are 2 key tasks you must fulfill.
The vision and the execution.
It is your responsibility to communicate what the organization stands for and wants to accomplish. Just as kids look to their parents and players look to their coaches, people are looking to you (their leader) for guidance and vision. In this role of a visionary, you are behaving like a responsible leader.
Now that they know where they are going, people will now look to you (the leader) to fulfill the second task of responsible leadership. The Execution! How will you get the team to the finish line? I’ll tell you how. You will become a bridge builder. As a responsible leader you will try to find out what makes people perform well and bridge the gap between their performance and your vision. That’s when you begin to make positive impacts on the lives of those around you. When you make an impact on your team, you are making an impact on the entire organization as well.
So you see; it’s not that bad. As responsible leaders you understand that the only way to truly have an impact on any organization is to serve the people in that organization. You know that it is your responsibility to leave the organization better off than before you arrived on the scene. You are there to service your team and to build bridges.
What type of bridge you will build is totally up to you.
Shantera,
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head - responsible leadership is simple - but NOT easy.
Vision and execution are most definitely the 2 key pieces that leaders are 100% responsible for. The challenge is doing it day in, day out, rain or shine, in good times and in bad.
Very thought-provoking post!
I love your article. So many of use forget that true leadership is to serve. I believe when we have a servants heart everything falls into place.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have a servants heart it is not hard to sell the vision. People will hear the passion in your voice and see it on your face. They will feel the spirit of the organization and look beyond the person, the person is only the servant.