Leaders are Servants
Leadership is evident not only where a title is present, but also in the numerous roles and actions one fulfills in their everyday life. Where anyone is in a position to be heard and hold influence in a group of people, they are a leader. Numerous adjectives can describe what it means to be a leader, but they all ultimately funnel into the foundational purpose of a leader: to serve others. Leaders are servants.
When someone is committed to serving the group of people that they are leading or influencing, the other typical admiral qualities of a good leader are able to fall into place. For example, humility, adaptability, empathy, trustworthiness, discipline, and more, all characterize a leader because it is these traits that allow them to best serve others. In other words, the actions and words of a good leader flow out of a posture of wanting to build people up.
Now that the foundation of leadership has been established, it is important to analyze how individual traits best serve people and what that may look like. Humility may look like a leader being just as open to learning from a student or peer as the student or peer is to learning from the leader. Empathy and trustworthiness may look like developing relationships and conversations with group members that delve past the surface-level. Discipline may look like holding people accountable and offering constructive criticism. Each of these characteristics foster comfortable environments where people can grow and work in unity towards a goal or belief.
To continue, it is also important that leaders be under some sort of mentorship themselves. It’s clear that the qualities previously mentioned can’t be gained overnight, but rather through developing habits and being poured into by mentors in order that they may pour into the group they hold influence in. Not only is this beneficial in and of itself, but this also parallels the leader with their peers in the sense that both are in a position of continual learning and growth, which may in turn make others feel understood and empathized with. This continues to demonstrate the importance of a leader’s purpose to serve others well.
In addition to highlighting the basis of what it means to be a good leader, it is also important to emphasize that not all who are given a title of leadership fulfill its purposes and responsibilities. As soon as one begins to misuse authority and power as well as shifts away from a stance of serving others, “leader” becomes just a title or word instead of an identity or truth. One may still possess the title but reflect something else altogether. This can be described as irresponsible leadership, which can be displayed in a variety of ways.
Irresponsible leadership is seen when one leaves the purpose of a leader, to serve others well, unfulfilled, or when one settles for less than the best that they can give to the group they are leading. This becomes evident when one picks and chooses when they want to lead well; in other words, their behavior is inconsistent. They may still help others or spur unity in a group, but this becomes ineffective and irresponsible when they do so only when they feel like it. Although it is easy to give into this and most people are guilty of it, a leader must accept the higher standard that they are called to and discipline themselves in consistently being the best person they can for their peers, despite how they are feeling. Irresponsible leadership also looks like being more self and status-focused than others-focused. This could include working hard for a title to add to one’s outward appearance just to take the foot off the gas once the role is acquired. Another example may include using a title or role to deem one’s ideas and opinions as superior to those whom they are supposed to be encouraging. There are countless examples of irresponsible leadership, but the root of it lies at the choice of the person in a position of influence to serve themself or to serve those they have the opportunity to lead.
When looking at different signals of both good and bad leadership, it is clear that only leadership that is geared towards building others up may spur passion and possibility among one’s followers. A good leader recognizes that it is not enough to be passionate for the goal or cause that they are working towards, but that they must be passionate for the people working towards that goal, and through that the goal may be accomplished. It is through exuding belief in one’s followers and tapping into possibility that a leader may see “eyes shining” of those they are leading and be assured that they have done it, that they have fulfilled their role as a leader (Zander, Benjamin). Eyes shine when those being led take the belief, passion, humility, discipline, and teaching that the leader has displayed, for themselves, and weave it all together to make something to make possibility, reality.
Benjamin Zander Ted-Talk Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LCwI5iErE
When someone is committed to serving the group of people that they are leading or influencing, the other typical admiral qualities of a good leader are able to fall into place. For example, humility, adaptability, empathy, trustworthiness, discipline, and more, all characterize a leader because it is these traits that allow them to best serve others. In other words, the actions and words of a good leader flow out of a posture of wanting to build people up.
Now that the foundation of leadership has been established, it is important to analyze how individual traits best serve people and what that may look like. Humility may look like a leader being just as open to learning from a student or peer as the student or peer is to learning from the leader. Empathy and trustworthiness may look like developing relationships and conversations with group members that delve past the surface-level. Discipline may look like holding people accountable and offering constructive criticism. Each of these characteristics foster comfortable environments where people can grow and work in unity towards a goal or belief.
To continue, it is also important that leaders be under some sort of mentorship themselves. It’s clear that the qualities previously mentioned can’t be gained overnight, but rather through developing habits and being poured into by mentors in order that they may pour into the group they hold influence in. Not only is this beneficial in and of itself, but this also parallels the leader with their peers in the sense that both are in a position of continual learning and growth, which may in turn make others feel understood and empathized with. This continues to demonstrate the importance of a leader’s purpose to serve others well.
In addition to highlighting the basis of what it means to be a good leader, it is also important to emphasize that not all who are given a title of leadership fulfill its purposes and responsibilities. As soon as one begins to misuse authority and power as well as shifts away from a stance of serving others, “leader” becomes just a title or word instead of an identity or truth. One may still possess the title but reflect something else altogether. This can be described as irresponsible leadership, which can be displayed in a variety of ways.
Irresponsible leadership is seen when one leaves the purpose of a leader, to serve others well, unfulfilled, or when one settles for less than the best that they can give to the group they are leading. This becomes evident when one picks and chooses when they want to lead well; in other words, their behavior is inconsistent. They may still help others or spur unity in a group, but this becomes ineffective and irresponsible when they do so only when they feel like it. Although it is easy to give into this and most people are guilty of it, a leader must accept the higher standard that they are called to and discipline themselves in consistently being the best person they can for their peers, despite how they are feeling. Irresponsible leadership also looks like being more self and status-focused than others-focused. This could include working hard for a title to add to one’s outward appearance just to take the foot off the gas once the role is acquired. Another example may include using a title or role to deem one’s ideas and opinions as superior to those whom they are supposed to be encouraging. There are countless examples of irresponsible leadership, but the root of it lies at the choice of the person in a position of influence to serve themself or to serve those they have the opportunity to lead.
When looking at different signals of both good and bad leadership, it is clear that only leadership that is geared towards building others up may spur passion and possibility among one’s followers. A good leader recognizes that it is not enough to be passionate for the goal or cause that they are working towards, but that they must be passionate for the people working towards that goal, and through that the goal may be accomplished. It is through exuding belief in one’s followers and tapping into possibility that a leader may see “eyes shining” of those they are leading and be assured that they have done it, that they have fulfilled their role as a leader (Zander, Benjamin). Eyes shine when those being led take the belief, passion, humility, discipline, and teaching that the leader has displayed, for themselves, and weave it all together to make something to make possibility, reality.
Benjamin Zander Ted-Talk Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LCwI5iErE
Grounded
When thinking about how I would describe my ideal self, what immediately comes to mind is the word “grounded”. I long to be rooted in my values, always remaining aware of where my identity lies. The reason this holds so much importance to me is because I used to place much of my identity in my achievements, academics, and what other people thought of me. In turn, this put me under a place of immense pressure, and I had little grace for myself in my mistakes and failures. Even when I succeeded in living up to the expectations and goals that I had set for myself, I often felt empty instead of content and passionate.
However, through numerous influences in my life and through leaning more into my beliefs and my faith, I’ve been able to learn about where to shift my identity and where I should lead my life out of. Instead of working for approval and perfection, I now work out of the approval and affirmation that I already have from my relationships and values. Both concepts equate to an output of hard work, discipline, and other beneficial traits, but the difference is where they stem from. The former is fueled by stress and worry, but the latter is fueled by love and contentment, which gives me more freedom to be creative, make mistakes, and be passionate about different things. Of course, I still struggle with this and don’t have it all figured out, but I hope to grow every day in the concept of being grounded. Our test scores and accomplishments don’t define who we are, but it is the posture we act out of that does just that. |
The Power of Belief
The EdgeJimmy PageJack White |
It is evident that many people have the desire to matter and long to have purpose. When thinking about what it is exactly that makes someone matter, one usually thinks about what it is that makes them feel needed and valued by others, whether that be some talent or quality of theirs. To matter means that one adds value to society, but also that they feel valued themselves. However, this may look different for every person, for each one of us measures value in varying ways.
One area in which value often stems from is through one’s passions and talents, which is exemplified through the lives of three prominent rock guitarists, the Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White. The documentary, It Might Get Loud, demonstrates the diverse ways in which they gained value from their passion, but also the ways in which they provided value through the leadership skills they developed and through the messages that their music conveyed. When delving into the musical career of the Edge, one can clearly see how he saw music as more than simple melodies and lyrics, but also as what someone is about. Even when hearing him play, one can easily see that he loved guitar not because he was good at it, but because he found such a thrill in it, and it was through his natural passion for the art that he even began to foster leadership skills, such as adaptation and dedication. Throughout the documentary, he mentioned how he thought of music as a location and how there was always a certain place he was trying to reach. He saw the power in full commitment to his art, and he would invent chords and utilize different effects of music to yield the sound he desired. He used the knowledge he acquired over the years to play the guitar in ways no one had ever heard before. Furthermore, while all of this held value for him in and of themselves, the Edge found the most value in giving value to his listeners, through using music to connect with people. He found joy and matter in bringing people to the place that music was for him. To continue, Jimmy Page also had a unique view on music and gained many qualities from being a musician. Throughout the years partaking in his passion, he mentioned that he felt bonded to his guitar and that he felt in tune with the different melodies of each of the six strings. Music was a huge part of who he was, and he also saw it as something that had the ability to possess such passion, honesty, and competence. It’s these three traits that made a “musical heaven” for him. He saw that what’s going on in the music is just as important as what’s going on vocally and lyrically. Even the instrumental moments have such rawness and authenticity, and Jimmy Page led out of that mindset. The third rock guitarist mentioned in the documentary was Jack White. Many aspects can be seen through his musical career, one being that of the importance of mentorship. The film mentions how Jack initially learned guitar from a coworker at his upholstery job. Although stemming from a mundane activity, his dedication allowed it to foster into a talent that changed his life. He also displayed time management by using every moment apart from working to practice and fuel his gift. In turn, his passion grew, and he filled his room with instruments, built a guitar, learned the art of storytelling, etc. All of this stemmed from being under mentorship and possessing a willingness to learn and struggle with his instrument. Jack even refused to become satisfied with the art, because he learned the most in the midst of struggling and wrestling with the different components of music. Overall, although each of these artists have different outlooks on music, they all matter and have one thing in common. The reason that they matter and that people love their music is because they were all rooted in their love for music. One can best matter and give value to the world when they love what they are doing and when they believe in what they are doing. These three guitarists so strongly believed in the power of music that their audience understood their message and believed what they sang and played about. Living a life that matters means utilizing your passions and belief to impact the world around you, and these three exuded just that. |
The Foundation is Empathy
It’s evident that many traits and qualities are necessary to be a good leader. One that may be often overlooked or pushed aside, but is vital for effective leadership, is empathy. Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings of another, and not only does it spur design thinking, but it preserves and grows the humanity in each of us that tactical, structured qualities sometimes overshadow. Empathy holds extreme importance, and there are numerous ways in which to foster it.
When leading or participating in a group with a common goal or product in mind, it’s significant that one puts themselves in the environment of the end-user, if possible. This is displayed in the film, Extreme By Design, when multiple teams are sent to different countries to complete a given task. One team is tasked with developing a low-cost CPAP device to aid in resolving one of the leading causes of infant death in Bangladesh, pneumonia. Although they could surely design products and innovations from back home, they are immersed in the culture and problem in Bangladesh. Knowing about the technical components of the project is one thing, but conversing with the source and confronting the problem allowed the team to possess the passion and empathy that would fuel their solution. Being in the environment of the end-user imparted upon them the reality of the problem that virtual means would never have been able to do the same. Only when empathy was developed was the project able to shift from being simply an assignment or task to being something all-consuming with full perspective.
It’s also necessary to develop empathy in the inner workings of a team setting. Also featured in the documentary is a team working on a low-cost pump for IV medicines. This team had a unique dynamic, for it was composed of both business and engineering graduates. This constituted extremely varying points of view and opinions on the product, and it often caused tension and miscommunication between the team members. When one finds themselves in situations like this, it’s important to counteract the problem by possessing and utilizing empathy. Instead of having a fixed mindset and focusing on one “right” solution, it’s important that one puts themselves in the place of their team members in order to analyze every perspective and option and to be able to bring them all to unity and harmony in a way that will best be reflected in their end goal. This will also help one to give grace to their teams when they are able to understand where one’s ideas are coming from.
In addition, assuming a beginner’s mindset when approaching a new problem is helpful in fostering good design thinking. A lack of such may cause someone to enter a task with preconceived notions and biases that may prevent them from being open to new ideas and diverse ways of thinking. However, a beginner’s mindset allows one to flesh out all ways of thinking and to soak up every thought and piece of useful information from people actually facing the problem.
Overall, empathy overlays the foundation of design thinking in many ways, and it is vital for the growth of the team and for the growth of a sustainable idea. It fuels passion for a project and a people, an openness to new perspectives, and unity among a group of people. Without empathy, innovations and task may not reach their full potential.
Extreme By Design Film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOB4lep3TRw&t=213s
When leading or participating in a group with a common goal or product in mind, it’s significant that one puts themselves in the environment of the end-user, if possible. This is displayed in the film, Extreme By Design, when multiple teams are sent to different countries to complete a given task. One team is tasked with developing a low-cost CPAP device to aid in resolving one of the leading causes of infant death in Bangladesh, pneumonia. Although they could surely design products and innovations from back home, they are immersed in the culture and problem in Bangladesh. Knowing about the technical components of the project is one thing, but conversing with the source and confronting the problem allowed the team to possess the passion and empathy that would fuel their solution. Being in the environment of the end-user imparted upon them the reality of the problem that virtual means would never have been able to do the same. Only when empathy was developed was the project able to shift from being simply an assignment or task to being something all-consuming with full perspective.
It’s also necessary to develop empathy in the inner workings of a team setting. Also featured in the documentary is a team working on a low-cost pump for IV medicines. This team had a unique dynamic, for it was composed of both business and engineering graduates. This constituted extremely varying points of view and opinions on the product, and it often caused tension and miscommunication between the team members. When one finds themselves in situations like this, it’s important to counteract the problem by possessing and utilizing empathy. Instead of having a fixed mindset and focusing on one “right” solution, it’s important that one puts themselves in the place of their team members in order to analyze every perspective and option and to be able to bring them all to unity and harmony in a way that will best be reflected in their end goal. This will also help one to give grace to their teams when they are able to understand where one’s ideas are coming from.
In addition, assuming a beginner’s mindset when approaching a new problem is helpful in fostering good design thinking. A lack of such may cause someone to enter a task with preconceived notions and biases that may prevent them from being open to new ideas and diverse ways of thinking. However, a beginner’s mindset allows one to flesh out all ways of thinking and to soak up every thought and piece of useful information from people actually facing the problem.
Overall, empathy overlays the foundation of design thinking in many ways, and it is vital for the growth of the team and for the growth of a sustainable idea. It fuels passion for a project and a people, an openness to new perspectives, and unity among a group of people. Without empathy, innovations and task may not reach their full potential.
Extreme By Design Film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOB4lep3TRw&t=213s