Servant Leadership

I really enjoyed this week's lecture about being a servant leader. In my high school student government we tried to emphasize this point because a lot of people just want to be a part of it for the name and title. Sometimes it's hard to not want to be recognized or praised for the good work you do, but we have to realize that that's not the point in leadership. The best leaders are humble and don't go around telling people about how cool they are. Brother Cox's stories about different leaders were very interesting. When he talked about Alvin York, the World War I soldier, he told about how in the end he didn't want to be famous for the act of service he performed. Even though he was famous for it, he wanted to be remembered as someone who helped others. I think that sometimes when people who are praised for their acts of good and actually soak it up, they can become prideful. That doesn't make anyone like them more. Addiotionally, Brother Cox talked about not being caught up in yourself. You can't get caught up in what you are because with leadership it isn't actually about you - it's about the people you serve. If we can keep that in mind, then we will be able to focus on the people. That was his big main point - to serve outward, not look inward. I won't ever forget his hand motions of pointing outward. It's all about the people and the relationships - not about the projects and processes. Building relationships through serving others in your leadership positions, I feel, has been one of the main themes throughout this class so far. I am going to try to apply this by making eye contact and smiling more at the people I see around me.