It seems appropriate in this the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth that we look at a tale not of two cities but of two leaders.
In our leader-obsessed culture perhaps we should focus not on the leader but their leadership.
These two pictures portray leaders in action.
The leader in the left hand picture is serving the other person by enabling them to get to their level. The leader in the right hand picture is serving the other person by enabling them to go beyond him.
These pictures take us to the very heart of the issue, which is an issue of the heart. Where does a leader find his or her sense of identity? Is the leader secure enough in who they are and therefore willing to enable others to press on to higher things?
In the life of Jesus we see this second picture of leadership. John 13:3-5 informs us:
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Unless we as leaders are secure in our position and in our identity, we will be unable to resist the temptation to solve other people’s problems (because it makes us feel good and massages our ego) instead of coaching our people and teams to solve their own problems. This is true empowerment. This is multi-generational servant leadership.
What do you think?
My friend and personal coach Paul Duncan lives in the UK and has been on staff of Agape (CCCi) since 1985. He currently is an executive agent for the European LDHR Director. He holds a Masters in Coaching and Mentoring from Oxford Brookes University; he is married with two daughters.
Email: [email protected]
4 replies on “Guest post: A Tale of Two Leaders”
The pictures for this post will make this message STICK for me since I’m a visual learner. Thanks!!
@sus – thanks for the reinforcement. Paul did a great job with this post.
Appreciate the focus on the heart and motive. Sometimes it’s serving by “saving” and sometimes it’s serving by “equipping”. Both appropriate in their own moment. @PaulDuncan– nice post.
Challenging my mind and heart indeed… Thanks.