Displaying a Servant’s Heart

In our exploration of Pillar II – Puts People First – we will dive into three core competencies as outlined by Sipe and Frick (2009):

1. Displays a Servant’s Heart

2. Is Mentor-Minded

3. Shows Care & Concern

Let’s start with the first one, Displays a Servant’s Heart. We often hear this mentioned – but what does it mean and how can we display a servant’s heart. I think it starts with a true love of what we are doing – it needs to mean something to you in order to even engage your heart.

What does it take for something to be meaningful? Certainly a lot more than a paycheck or position or title. For most of us it equates to doing “good” either for society or for someone in particular. What is important to you? This goes back to what we have discussed before in our values conversation. What do you value? What is at the core of who you are as a person?

Once you understand your values it is also important to determine how that correlates with your service opportunities. For example, if you value the contributions of our elders, perhaps visiting nursing homes would be meaningful to you. If you value seeing women succeed, perhaps serving as a mentor or coach would be meaningful to you. Also think about how you have gotten to where you are today. Did someone help you? Was there an organization that you loved being a part of? Were there sports or other physical activities (i.e., music and arts) that helped you to express yourself? Now, consider what in particular was meaningful to you about those various experiences … you have probably just mapped out some ideas for how you might give back! Why not serve in a similar organization and help the next generation of leaders achieve what you have?

Sometimes it is a very simple gesture that displays your servant’s heart. Other times, it may be a major project or volunteer position that you agree to take on for an extended period of time. You may find that a combination of gestures, single events or encounters, long-term commitment may be the perfect approach for you. What most people find is that the more regularly they give of themselves, the more natural it becomes WHO they are versus an activity to add to their resume. That is when you truly have developed a servant’s heart and are able to share it with others.

Here is your challenge: What will do you in the next 5 days to cultivate your servant’s heart?


Reference:

Sipe, J. W. &  Frick, D. M. (2009).  Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving