I have a slide that I invariably use at the top of a presentation:
Organizations exist to serve.
Period.
Leaders exist to serve.
Period.
My abiding penchant for leadership-as-service was supported in Jim Strock‘s superb Serve to Lead. (He will soon be one of our “Cool Friends.”) Here are the bare-bones basics:
Ten Principles of Twenty-first Century Leadership
- Everyone can lead because everyone can serve.
- The most valuable resource of any enterprise is its people.
- We are in transition from a transaction-based world to a relationship-based world.
- Leadership is a relationship between empowered, consenting adults.
- Leadership is a dynamic relationship.
- There is no universal leadership style.
- Leadership roles are converging.
- A leader’s unique task is to imagine and advance a vision.
- Love is the highest level of leadership relationships.
- Character is a competitive advantage.
The Four Questions
- Who are you serving?
- How can you best serve?
- Are you making your unique contribution?
- Are you getting better every day?