We become effective servants the moment we are willing to give up all that we are in order to receive all that we can become.
Then we can say that we are not just leaders, but faithful servants in the eyes of God and men.
Japan is unique in many respects. It is the only nation which experienced devastation caused by two atomic bombs during World War II. Yet barely a generation later, she has emerged as one of the most powerful and richest nations in the world.
What is her secret? Japanese managers today devote some 20 to30 percent of their time to personally develop their staff. It is part of the Japanese duty of mutual obligation between managers and staff.
Managers and supervisors are not selected based on their work experience or abilities which management believes can be developed through effective training. Instead, they are chosen on the basis of their potential to develop their staff.
And what are the criteria here at home? A look at our classified ads shows that our firms seek experienced, talented, and ambitious people, with hardly any regard to how they will relate with other people in the company. We neglect to look into the applicant's passion to train his or her staff, a must in teamwork and long-term growth. So what happens is we get bright and experienced persons who are individualistic, reluctant to be team players and trainers.
The Japanese have a different philosophy. Their managers and supervisors are people who are capable of developing their staff and training their subordinates to be well-rounded workers. The height of achievement for a supervisor in Japan is the promotion of one of his staff to a position higher than his. This promotion is so special that a ceremony is held in celebration of this occasion. In this ceremony, however, the focus of attention and honor is not the person promoted, but the supervisor whose skills and efforts made the promotion possible. A spirit of self-sacrifice is the framework of corporate organization.
The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point where they eventually surpass him in knowledge and ability.
John Maxwell has this to say: "Leaders impress others when leaders succeed; leaders impact others when followers succeed!"
Effective leadership is servanthood, not coercion.
God's words in Mark 9:35 still ring true today, "The first among you shall be last of all and servant of all."