An Exercise in Servant Leadership
Cultivating a life of servanthood means we must humble ourselves and put the needs of others first. But that can be easier said than done, right? It takes intention on our part and a whole lot of grace. Below is a simple exercise you can use to help cultivate your servant leadership skills.
Take a look at the list below and ask yourself some questions like, "How many times did I do or say something in the past 7 days because I was afraid or worried? How many times did I make decisions or have conversations from a place of rest and contemplation? How do those things feel different for me? What changes in the ways I lead my life and others?"
LEAD FROM:
Fear
Rest
Guilt
Humility
Passion
Obligation
Giftedness
Power of the Spirit
Needs of Others
Competition (Need to be better than others)
Next, consider what emotion or motives you lead your life WITH depending on where you were leading FROM. Maybe for example, you did something for someone from the desire to fulfill the need of another, but you did it with the intention of manipulating them? Ask yourself, why do you do the things you do?
LEAD WITH:
Fear
Anxiety
Intimidation
Manipulation
Coercion
Instability
Grace
Determination
Inspiration
Obligation
Humility
Becoming aware of how we act and speak based on how we are feeling is a huge first step in becoming the kind of leaders we want to be. Being intentional about how we feel and where we are leading from allows us to start to choose to lead from the things God wants for us. How can you help yourself choose to lead from/with grace and humility today?
When we begin to cultivate a strong spiritual life we engage in a process in which we begin to love the things that God loves and start to become the kind of people in which those things make sense. When we spend time in prayer, in contemplation, in community serving others, in the places where we feel most connected to God then we begin to see the world the way God sees it. And others begin to see God in us.