Today, on the eve of Boss’s Day, I want to say thank you to the exceptional employees I work with each day. I’ve been blessed to work in the midst of people who daily seek to serve and teach me to serve.
When I looked up the definition of “boss” I found every definition includes such descriptions as “supervise,” “control,” “give orders,” “lead,” and “exercise authority.” I couldn’t find a single definition that included “serve.” Even so, I’ve discovered that the best “bossing” always come through serving. In other words, if bosses are to lead, we must learn to serve. Service is the most powerful of all leadership styles. The video below illustrates this truth.
In my personal life, I have discovered I am the best servant leader, the best “boss” when I do these things:
• When I lead myself well.
• When my incentives are beyond my personal gain.
• When I grow in competence and credibility.
• When I am honest in carrying out assignments and guiding policies.
• When I restrain my ego to work with others.
Boss’s Day is a perfect day for leaders to evaluate their philosophies and practices for leadership. If we find that we have weaknesses, we have a most excellent model in Jesus Christ.
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:12–15)
Our service equips others to serve. What might the world look like in 10 years if every current “boss” is a servant, equipping the next generation to also be servants? I want to see the difference we can make.
