Far too often I have heard so-called leaders talk about “servant leadership”. In fact, many of them have a distorted view of the term. They generally believe it means that "you" serve them. When I was president of the American Leadership Foundation, I was honored to have, as one of my advisory board members, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Thomas Moorer. Admiral Moorer relayed to me in a conversation that leadership is won when “...you serve your troops. Not the other way around.” He added, “If you serve your troops with integrity you are always serving your superiors and your country.”
Applying that same formula to life is simple; serve your family and your team or employees. If we all would serve our families and our teams we would make decisions with proper motives that would benefit our own lives and businesses for the better.
I heard a statement one day that "the value of your life is not determined by its duration, but by its donation." Your willingness to serve others will have a boomerang effect on you that will ensure a life of joy and significance. Ironically, serving others will prove to be one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
Always Lead,
Bo
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