“I am Second”? NO “I am Third”!

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Christian ad campaign “I am Second”. This is the practice of living your life with God first and yourself second. But, I have a problem with this. Yes, God is first in my life, but why am I second? The great Zig Ziglar says, “If you help enough other people get what they want, you can have everything you want”! What that means is, if you put other people first, you can achieve all your goals! Why would I question the great Zig Zigler? Zig and the ad campaign contradict one another, because I know Zig put’s God first! So, “I am Second”, NO “I am Third”! IF you’re looking to become more successful in business, place everyone else’s needs ahead of your own! You’ll only find success through other people, not in spite of other people!

There’s a business philosophy called “Servant Leadership” which was started by Robert K Greenleaf back in 1904. This philosophy has been updated by some of the great business writers of our day, like Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Block and Peter Senge. They’ve given their input on what “Servant Leadership” is and its advantages.

Servant leadership turns the management pyramid upside down by putting the employees at the top of the triangle, and management on the bottom of the triangle. For some, this concept is hard to understand because it requires management to trust that the employees will perform to achieve great things with its clients.

One of the best examples of a company which practices Servant Leadership is Southwest Airlines. Southwest “serves” its passengers to the tune of being the most admired, envied and profitable airlines in the world. Why? Because they understand the benefits of “serving” people. Southwest doesn’t only serve its passengers; they also serve its employees. Here’s a quote from the now retired CEO of Southwest Airlines Herb Kelleher, “Just as Southwest has their customers, the passengers, the management team has their customers, the employees. If the customers are not satisfied, they will not fly again with Southwest. If the employees are not satisfied, they will not deliver the required performance”! Now that’s turning the table on every management practice around-and the proof is in the pudding!

One of the greatest leaders I know of once washed the feet of his subordinates, then, instructed them to serve others as he served them! Do you have anyone’s feet to wash today?