Leaders Add Value by Serving Others

The interaction of every leader and follower is a relationship and all relationships either add or subtract from a person’s life. One thing I know as a leader, I am either having a positive or negative impact on another person’s life. The critical question to ask is……

“Am I making things better for the people who follow me?”

There it is! One single question that demands an answer. If we cannot say without hesitating say YES and give some evidence that backs it up, then we are most likely a SUBTRACTOR! Most leaders do not realize they are subtracting from others – it is unintentional! However, leaders who add value to others do so intentionally. Many previous Nobel Prize Winners offer us examples of what adding value really looks like – Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu to name a few. There focus seems to be more on impacting others. They worked tirelessly to make life better for others with little thought about their own creature comforts.

To start any discussion about adding value to other people begins with actually valuing people. As a leader you see worth and value in another person that you attempt to enhance and strengthen their capabilities. Simply stated, you value the things that another person values.

Most importantly, leaders must add value to the things that God values. God desires for us to not only treat people with respect, but to also actively reach out to them and serve them. When you strive to lift up your followers, help them advance, and make them part of something bigger than themselves, you are adding value to them.

Case Study – A New Definition of Leadership

Jesus’ Example Mark 10: 35-45 The Bible

Study Questions

What was the motivation of James and John when they made their request to Jesus?

Why do you think the other 10 disciples became indignant with James and john?

Jesus suggested that someone become GREAT by becoming a servant. How is that possible?