How may I serve you?
As I was teaching about servant leadership to some young leaders earlier this year, one thought of it as a type of “bad” leadership – one where instead of leading, you were serving, which he conceived of as following. It’s not a surprising connection. “Servants” in a home are the opposite of leaders. Servers are not chefs. Indentured servants in antiquated apprenticeship models were the opposite of leaders. It’s no surprise that that youth thought of servant leadership as a leadership failing.
No, to me this is the ultimate form of leadership.
As a leader of ensembles, I am a servant.
I seek to serve the needs of my students.
I seek to serve the needs of the ensemble.
I seek to serve the needs of the music itself.
Treating leadership positions as an opportunity to give service to others is a profound and important perspective shift; when we make that shift, literally everything becomes an opportunity to serve.
I lead so that I can serve. I serve so that those I lead can grow and succeed.