Servant Leadership is Not Weak Leadership
U.S. Army General, Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. displayed highly successful leadership abilities while commanding allied troops in the Persian Gulf War. He was known to be tough, yet fair and strong, yet serving.
On May 28, 1970 during the Vietnam War, Schwarzkopf Jr. was serving as a Colonel and flew a helicopter to help evacuate an injured soldier who stepped on a mine and severely injured his leg. The man thrashed around on the ground, screaming for help.
Schwarzkopf Jr. believed the man could be saved and ordered other soldiers to remain calm and stay put while he walked the mine field slowly, stepping over mines, to save the wounded soldier. The 240-pound Schwarzkopf Jr. lifted the man and carried him across the dangerous mine field to safety. Schwarzkopf Jr. displayed servant leadership in this situation.
There are ten qualities of having a servant leaders’ heart:
1. Put others ahead of your agenda
2. Be confident, yet serving
3. The ability to see needs as an opportunity to serve without excepting anything in return.
4 Serve with no motive or manipulation – expect nothing in return
5. Perform small acts of kindness, daily
6. Take your time (avoid rushing)
7. Move into action with an attitude of serving and helping others
8. Show grace when working with others, especially those in the service/restaurant industry
9. Believe the heart of leadership is serving
10. Make an agenda of getting to know each person’s needs and aspirations
The big question is, where is your heart when it comes to serving others? Do you desire to become a recognized leader for the perks and benefits? Or, is your desire and motivation to help others succeed?
Servant leadership is not weak. Servant leadership is strength of character and the strongest pathway to influence and impact. Who can you serve this week?
Here’s to being a servant leader!
– Steve
As a master storyteller, Steve has unparalleled ability to communicate dynamic business and leadership truths through stories, anecdotes and humor. Harness the power of the “number one” predictor of professional success, impact, leadership, high performance and sustainable relationships in business and life. Steve’s highest rated keynote presentation.
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“The purpose of Leadership Quest is to help professionals develop their personal leadership, vision and emotional intelligence. Everyday I strive to help leaders and teams achieve their desired goals in sales productivity, leadership, time maximization, and life-balance. ”
About the Author
Steve Gutzler is the President of Leadership Quest, a Seattle-based leadership development company. Steve is a dynamic, highly-sought-after speaker who has delivered more than 2,500 presentations to a list of clients including Microsoft, Starbucks, the Seattle Seahawks, Pandora Radio, Boeing, Cisco, Starwood Corporation, the Ritz Carlton group, and the U.S. Social Security Administration. He recently was voted #1 by the readership of Huffington Post as the Most Inspirational Leader on Social Media.
A published author on leadership and emotional intelligence, Steve resides near Seattle with his wife Julie where they enjoy time with their three adult children and six grandchildren.
