Everyone has different motivations for the actions that they take. It is important to know this before you begin any project, task, or journey. There is not a right or wrong set of motivations in life, but not all sets of motivations fit well with all goals. For example, if you are an individual that is motivated to crush your competition, you may not want to work in healthcare, and if your key motivation is to help the people that are in distress, maybe that financial analyst job is not the best fit.
Can you be the one of the best healthcare workers in the world if your motivation is to crush your competition? Well, it is not impossible, but without a constant desire to improve yourself in that field, that will likely not last. Greatness cannot last without a continued desire to keep that greatness going. Take a long look at why you do the things that you do in business and in your personal life. Is your motivation aligned with your job duties? Do the things that motivate you give you the ability to be a great leader?
Does your motivation include helping those around you? For many people that want to be great leaders, this answer will often include “to help people” or to “inspire their team”. If that is not part of your motivation, then it is going to be difficult to be a good servant leader.
I want everyone to do one simple task this week. Dedicate one hour of the week to helping someone out in a way you normally would not. This someone can be an employee, coworker, loved one or neighbor, it doesn’t matter, but it has to be out of the norm. If you spend Sundays mowing your lawn, offer to mow your neighbor’s lawn. If you spend part of your workweek taking note of your goals and to-do, bring in one of your employees and note their goals and help them accomplish them. Each of you will have different responses to this task, but I am sure they will all be positive.
Servant Leadership 