As we commemorate those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, I am reminded of just how important it is to take a stand for what you believe in and to embrace what you hold dear.
Finding My Own Way of Interacting
In my early years of leading, I was often trying to find my way when interacting with followers and was driven more by “what I thought a leader should look and act like.” It wasn’t until I began to see the tremendous capacity for influence upon others that I began to understand the importance of developing my own leadership philosophy.
Developing My Own Perspectives
You see, I understood that my philosophy could be informed by the examples of others, the theories I researched or my own personal experiences, however, it became clear to me that the true test would be found in developing my own perspectives on leadership behaviors. I use the word test because it would involve risks associated with leading well or failing miserably when I interacted with my followers. For that reason, I began to think deeply concerning my own values and what I hold dear or what I regard with disdain in terms of leader behaviors.
My Leadership Style Preferences
That being shared, my own personal philosophy of leadership is still evolving based upon situational occurrences with followers and my faith. However, there are certain values and beliefs that must be present when formulating my leadership style preferences. These values include, but are not limited to the presence of, “Relationship Cultivation” or the belief that others should be first. I share this with you today, because it is my strong belief that both a servant mentality and a high level of ethics must be present in order to foster a well-rounded, healthy and effective leader. The servant leader embodies many of these “Relationship Cultivation” characteristics and seeks to serve as followers grow and develop.
At the end of the day and in my estimation, the true measure of a servant leader’s impact is found in the health and productivity of his or her followers. Are they fulfilled, healthy and productive? If so, then the leader is on to something special and it should be cultivated, celebrated and modeled for others to see. After all, if you have something of value, shouldn’t it be shared with others?
Please leave a comment or post on my Facebook Page and share with me why cultivating your own leadership philosophy is vitally important. I appreciate of you!
