Servant leadership is hard. People love working for servant leaders, which makes it that much more challenging, as the pressure to lead by serving others is there everyday. We want to be the leader that people trust and want to work for.
All I can do is all I can do, so what do I do when all I can do is not enough?
I recognize that no matter how hard I try on my own I eventually fall short of my expectations. Think about all a servant leader has on their plate:
- Building the Foundation – Purpose / Vision / Values
- Building Energy
- Building Performance
- Building Relationships
- Building Character
It would take a miracle to be totally effective and efficient on all the intricacies of these requirements of effective servant leadership. And miracles take prayer!
Fortunately we all have a secret weapon we can call upon to help us in our efforts to be an effective servant leader.
PRAYER
It is not the prayer in and of itself that will help you become the leader you want to be, instead it is God working through the prayer in your life that makes it happen.
People certainly love working for a servant leader, but it is also a command from God to lead in this way. So I believe he will answer our prayers when we call on him for help in our service to the people within our sphere of influence.
I have found this to be true when:
- I pray before a coaching session, asking for help to focus on the person I am talking to, and not myself
- I pray before speaking to a group, asking God to supply the words that the audience needs to hear
- I pray for the ability to see the good in people’s performance and values so that I can effectively acknowledge, encourage, and thank them
- I pray for guidance on the future direction of Triune Leadership Services
- I pray for patience and wisdom on dealing with my personal email account when it gets hacked!
I am thankful for God’s grace that makes this communication possible.
Heavenly Father: “I can’t, you can, please do, thank you”.
Mark Deterding
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7
I was reading my Bible recently and came across an interesting passage that seemed to be intended for servant leaders. I was riding in the car and didn’t make a note of the reference, but it dovetails with your message: it is also a command from God to lead in this way. The verses talked about the leader being responsible to God for the people they lead. As I read your blog today it reminded me. It might have been Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and be under their authority. These men are watching you because they are responsible for your souls. Obey them so that they will do this work with joy, not sadness. It will not help you to make their work hard.”