Serve Or Lead?

I once had a boss who prided himself on working alongside his workers. I was sure he would never ask me to do something he wouldn’t do himself.

I appreciated that very much and I respected him for it. However, working for him was quite chaotic. Sometimes material would show up on time; sometimes it wouldn’t. It was sometimes hard for me to feel productive, because nothing felt very organized.

He was more focused on working alongside his workers. Instead of making sure his workers had what they needed to work effectively.

I also had another boss who never worked alongside me. He focus on managing. And there was plenty of grunt work that I did regularly that I never saw him do.

But working for him was great. Everything was organized and ran smoothly. Stuff got done under his leadership.

It’s important to be a leader who is willing to do even the most menial task. But you can’t let that get in the way of doing your job.

I’ve heard the term servant-leader get thrown around. But it seems like most people who use that term actually just want a servant-servant.

There is sacrifice in serving. But there is also sacrifice in leading.

It’s good if you aren’t too proud to scrub toilets. And it’s good if you aren’t too proud to lead.

What do you think?
Joseph