Well-meaning, but misinformed Christians often parrot a line about the importance of being a servant leader, but they have no idea what it means. Often it gets reduced to “serve ME” by “agreeing with ME and doing what I want you to do.” But servant leadership is actually about doing the greatest good for the most people. It has nothing to do with being mild mannered, politically correct, socially acceptable, or making people feel good. It has everything to do with moving them forward in the way that will help them. Help them what? Whatever. Help them with a problem. Help them meet a need. Help them become more or better.

I’m not an athlete or a sports fan, but I love sport for its analogies. In our company we often speak of “moving the ball” or “moving down the field toward the goal line.” That’s what leaders do; they help others move toward the goal line. They call plays. They run them. They redeploy resources and reassign people as needed. They do what is necessary to help their team score. That is how they best and most effectively serve others.

When Jesus talked about serving, He taught that greatness came from serving ALL. That’s interesting. I’ve heard a lot of preachers and teachers emphasize “serving” but I’ve only heard one ever tie together the notion of “greatness” and “all.”  Wow! That’s big. If you want to be everything you can potentially be and really make your mark on the world—really make a difference—you need to find a way to help the most people possible; as Jesus put it—all!

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Coming up Next: YOU are essential to THEIR success.