How to Serve People through Leadership...

* Have you ever been called a loser?

* Have you ever been told you are not good enough?

* Have you ever felt unappreciated by your boss?

* Have you ever worked for a dictator?

Leadership is not elevating yourself, leadership is elevating others. I imagine many of you have experienced the humiliation of a leader, coach, or teacher who put you down rather then built you up. Unfortunatly, people everyday experience the devastating consequences of poor leadership. Great leadership focuses on uplifting others to their potential.

The purpose of leadership is to serve others by providing the opportunity to, not only helping others become better, but duplicating themselves in the lives of others. Great leaders will embrace the strengths in others and provide those they serve the opportunity to become better then themselves. Weak leaders are threatened by strength and prey on weakness by fear and intimidation.

"Good coaching is about leadership and instilling respect in your players. Dictators lead through fear, good coaches do not." -- John Wooden

Servant leadership is the art of instilling responsibility and encouraging others to become leaders through respect. Dictatorship is the abuse of others by creating fear and intimidation for self-promotion. We all have experienced the effect of both mindsets. When leadership positions are abused, the effect is like a pebble in a pond. The effect of abused leadership positions creates hurt and scars which can last a lifetime.

"If serving is below you, leadership is beyond you."

To my astonishment when attending a sales meeting recently, I witnessed the sales manager berate the sales team by telling them they can't sell, they are lazy, and their commissions are "given to them" because they did not earn them. The sales manager began to share their sales numbers and told the team that they were the only one selling. As I observed the behavior of the sales staff, they were deflated and discouraged. They believed they could do nothing because they were living up to their expectations. The sales manager did not expect greatness because there was no respect for the team or intention to grow the team. The only important person in the room was the sales manager. Leadership position does not guarantee leadership when it promotes dictatorship.

" Leadership is neither showmanship or dictatorship. Leadership is stewardship and a partnership." -- Rick Warren

What is the difference between Great Leadership and Dictatorship:

1.  Great leaders embrace strength, Dictators prey on weakness.

2.  Great leaders enhance the growth of others, Dictators inhibit growth in others.

3.  Great leaders gain respect, Dictators demand respect.

4.  Great leaders develop people, Dictators use people.

5.  Great leaders give more credit, Dictators take all the credit.

6.  Great leaders take more blame, Dictators give all the blame

7.  Great leaders create confidence, Dictators instill fear.

8.  Great leaders clearly communicate, Dictators assume understanding.

9.  Great leaders build relationships, Dictators tear down people.

10.    Great leaders seek cooperation, Dictators demand obedience.

"Leadership is not elevating yourself, leadership is elevating others."-- Bob Reish

Servant leaders serve their people by giving authority and responsibility to their people. This allows people to develop and become leaders. When leaders create accountability, this creates an atmosphere of growth and ownership. Servant leadership welcomes suggestions and creative thought. When leaders encourage the thoughts and ideas of others, significance is greater for the whole. With great leadership, independence is created. This decreases dependency and allows for people to develop as leaders.

" The Function of a Leader is to produce more leaders, not more followers." -- Ralph Nader

Business Coach Bob Reish

_____________________________________________________________________

Please like and share your comments. Follow and Connect to get more!

About the Author:

Coach Bob Reish is the President and Certified Business Coach of Bob Reish Business Coaching LLC and partnered with FocalPoint Business Coaching International powered by Brian Tracy. He has a wealth of experience in business coaching and corporate training, amassing more than 12,000 hours of coaching and training with over 7,000 professionals and business owners. He is the author of,

“If You Are Selling Cookies, I’m Interested!”

Throughout his career, Coach Bob has established and maintained strong relationships with professionals from a wide variety of companies, including Bankers Life, Farmers Insurance, LegalShield, Holiday Inn, WFG Financial, Realty One Executives, and Edward Jones Financial. The principle that governs his work is when we change the way we think, we will change our world.

To Subscribe to Coach Bob’s Newsletter, Click Here

To connect to my blog, Click Here