What do servant-leaders and frequent flyers have in common?
I believe the answer is this: Both gain their status through continuous action and both can lose their status through inaction.
OK, perhaps I should say more.
I live in Atlanta. That means I drink Coca-Cola products, of course, and it also means I fly on Delta Airlines.
Indeed, I am a member of the Delta frequent flyer program. Because I did not travel so much last year, right now I only have “Silver Medallion” status – the lowest level Medallion; but because I am traveling a ton this year, I will soon move up to “Gold Medallion” status.
Of course, if I were to stop flying on Delta, then before too long my Medallion status would expire altogether and I would not be recognized with priority boarding, upgrades and other such things.
So, my status as a frequent flyer, in the eyes of Delta, is dependent on continuous action – flying!
I believe the same is true for a servant-leader.
One’s status as a servant-leader, in the eyes of followers, is dependent on continuous action – servant-leading!
I see two implications from this.
First, one cannot rest on one’s laurels, as it were, and remain a good servant-leader. In servant leadership, today matters more than yesterday. One can lose servant-leader status – and indeed, one will likely lose followers – if one takes a servant leadership leave of absence.
Second, merely having good intentions does not make one a servant-leader. Robert K. Greenleaf, who coined the term “servant-leader,” makes the point clearly:
“Servant-leaders differ from other persons of good will because they act on what they believe.”
Likewise, one cannot claim to be a servant-leader by nature but, at the same time, point to no actions supporting such a claim.
I might go so far as to say that people are not born servant-leaders any more than they are born frequent flyers. Action – leading or flying, as the case may be – is the thing that defines each.
Well, my flight is boarding so I better move along.
What do you think? Can one claim to be a servant-leader in the absence of continuous action supporting such a claim? Can servant-leader status be lost? What are we missing here?
While I’m in the air, let us know.
As always, we appreciate your views. Thanks!
Joe
And download our latest ebook, Servant Leadership in the Workplace: A Brief Introduction. It’s free!