Classifieds: Wanted (Needed) Desperately - New Leaders

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. - Lao Tzu

Sharing a musing from the great servant leader, Jack King.  His website can be found here – Walnut Ridge Consulting.

The wise words that follow are his, unedited, and are shared with his permission.

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Calling All Leaders

What do you get when you take an empty box, wrap it, and put a pretty bow on top? Why, an empty box, of course. Sadly, many so-called leaders are not unlike that empty box. What do I mean? It’s simple really. Do elections make us leaders? Does the march of time (e.g., 4-year terms, 20 years on the job) make us a leader? How about credentials and college degrees? Do they make us leaders? How about divinity school, excelling in a particular sport, starring in a block-buster movie, or capturing the essence of life in a magnificent work of art? Do these activities somehow make us leaders? Pretty packaging or not, the only thing that can make us a leader is the condition of our heart.

You see, leadership, of any sort, is not about leading. It's not even about wanting to lead; instead, it’s about being followed. If you are to lead, it is because the people want you to lead; it is because they want to follow you. If you are to lead, it is because you have something of great worth that will build up the hearts of the people. Those who will lead us must first earn the people’s respect, for it is the leader who is empowered, not the other way around. After all, you can only lead as long as the people will follow. So it is, good leaders will not fight to become your leader. They will not ask for your vote. They will not put others down or demand your allegiance. They will not throw shadows of fear over your path. But they will not hide from you, either. Want to find them? That's easy. They're the ones serving others without fame or fanfare.

Find them, and you've found a leader worthy to follow.

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Sometimes the wise words we need to hear do not come in lengthy tomes or need to be accompanied with heavy analysis.

Their beauty and power lies in their simplicity.

Thank you, Jack, for sharing your powerful words.  You are a true servant leader.

Where are the leaders we need today?

We need them now, while we still have something worth leading.

Are you one of those leaders?

Are you sure?

How do you know?

In service and servanthood,

Harry