Humility – one of the greatest signs of true leadership. To humble yourself before those that you lead takes great courage and strength. In the days leading to his betrayal and ultimately, his death and resurrection, Jesus humbled himself before his disciples to teach them one of the greatest lessons they would ever learn. Leaders are servants of those they lead. The only way to truly succeed is to humble yourself and follow Jesus’ example of servant leadership.
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
– John 13:14-16
This was before the days of cement and comfortable tennis shoes. Washing feet was a task reserved for servants and slaves. Imagine the disciples’ surprise when Jesus instructed them to sit while he cleaned their feet.
Jesus was their teacher, their leader, their Messiah. He was the Savior of the world, and he got down on his hands and knees to wash the dirt from their feet.
Now, does that mean that we should all go around washing each other’s feet? Maybe not, but it does mean that we should look for opportunities to serve those around us and look for ways to practice servant leadership. Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus found every opportunity to serve the people around him – especially those in need.
He didn’t focus on people that were already doing well. He sought out people that really needed help and people that really needed Him.
As organizational leaders, are we serving those around us? Are we focusing solely on the bottom line or on how we can be of service to our employees and our communities? Are we setting an example for those that we lead? Are we following Jesus’s example of servant leadership?
Jesus set the greatest example of servant leadership for us, and FaithSearch Partners has been working to live up to that example over the last 30+ years. We exist to secure differential leaders for our clients.
If you’re looking for leadership that will serve others and your community, FaithSearch Partners is an elite executive search firm that specializes in finding and securing those leaders. FaithSearch has a proven track record of securing leaders for nonprofit, academic, and athletic organizations.
