SERVANT LEADERSHIP

It is often said

Give and ___________.

Fill in the blank with the word that comes to your mind.

If it was the word “TAKE” then like most of us that’s how you recognize it. If you give, then you are also entitled to take or like it is often said I have a give and take relationship.

Now look at the 2nd type of relationship i.e. give and get. Here you give without a sense of entitlement. That’s when magic happens and give translates into get.

This reminds me of the potter’s story who had two pots filled to the brim with water that he would diligently carry every day to the master’s house. However, one pot was cracked. The potter used to nurture and give it the same care as the other pot which was complete with no crack.

This bought tears in the cracked pot’s eyes, for it new that the potter could have discarded it declaring it to be a useless cracked pot that couldn’t even give a pot full of water, the bear minimum expected of a pot.

The cracked pot would always think how do I give back to the potter? for all the unconditional love he has towards me and finally after some hard thinking, the pot came up with a brilliant idea. He told the potter to carry some seeds with him and sprinkle them on the ground as they travelled to the master’s house. Thereafter for the next 3 months the pot ensured the seeds were watered everyday through the crack. And lo!! In the next 3months there were fragrant beautiful flowers that had blossomed, which the potter used to decorate the master’s house. The master was pleased and not just offered the potter a handsome reward but also admired the potter’s attitude of wanting to give and go the extra mile.

So, for the potter Give led to Get.

Give and you will Get is the philosophy of servant leadership in which the main goal of the leader is to serve others i.e. the team or followers. Remember you can choose to fill the blank _____with TAKE or GET and what you choose can make a world of difference to how others experience you as a leader.