SERVE others relentlessly.
Fearless Leaders are willing and enthusiastic servants. They understand the sacrifice of service and the rewards for being the person who makes it happen in the background. Serving silently at times is challenging because we all want to be recognized. But it is the intrinsic internal and eternal flame of serving a greater good that burns bright inside every Fearless Leader.
Serving others in life is like being on a Navy Seal mission – your journey will take you places you didn’t know, to serve people you didn’t know before and to solve problems you didn’t know existed. And sometimes your mission is so covert, only you will know you were the person behind the victory.
Early in our careers, we tend to get the recognition for the tasks we perform. We get asked to do X, we do it, we get told good job. The recognition is an extrinsic reward and something we have enjoyed since receiving our first trophy or ribbon in Little League or horse-showing.
As we make the decision to serve others as a leader, we are called to be the one rewarding others – handing out the ribbons, certificates, and trophies. We are the extrinsic givers, but true servant leaders are powered by a feeling of intrinsic joy when presenting others their recognition.
As you continue your Fearless Leadership journey, you will find more jockeying for giving out the certificates and trophies, and you may even be pushed to the background. That’s the covert mission I mentioned earlier, the Navy Seal example, completing your leadership mission covertly and in the shadows of others. Embrace this, don’t fight it.
Serving others is just that, it’s about others and not self.
Good leaders understand this; it’s kind of intuitive, but sometimes when it hits home, we question why we do what we do. Essentially, the questioning is doubt seeping in: “Is this worth it, why am I doing this, after everything I did?” Have you ever even asked yourself “do others appreciate what I do for them?” If you are like me, you have had these thoughts before, but all you need is that one person to come up to you and say “thank you” or “you have made a positive impact.” And all of a sudden, it’s like an immediate adrenaline shot to your system. So, what lesson can you take away from this? As a fearless leader, find your joy in serving others with no expectation of anything in return. Think of service as something much bigger than yourself. Serving others is a calling, the few, the proud, the Fearless Leaders.
b FEARLESS & serve.
