To Serve is to Lead

What do Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela have in common? Yes, they all stood for what they believed and brought many people together. These people also became leaders by the actions they took. However, when you look closer at the lives of these influential humans, they put serving others for greater causes before themselves!

The service is to provide meaningful contributions that are required in order to add value to the lives of those who are in need. The acceptance of doing the proverbial heavy lifting when no one else will, sets the stage for building that initial trust. Those who need you to lead them will see that you are taking the action and providing the value that is congruent with the movement of the tribe.

The most powerful and meaningful way to lead is to actually live the message and provide significant value for others in this world. Anyone can use lip service to demand respect, physical force, or throw a lot of money at others to do what is merely willed. These acts do not empower others. The aforementioned methods are finite and usually lead to imposing force upon others. This in turn can only lead to fear. Love, respect, compassion, and overall growth in human potential are severely stunted once fear is introduced into the same space.

The ubiquitous thing about leadership is that we all have the capacity within ourselves to become leaders! Finding ways to serve others beyond our own self interests becomes the ideal springboard towards influence. Ask yourself, does it really cost you to give? Or is it an investment?