Byron's Babbles

During today’s personal devotion time I came across the Bible verse of Matthew 20:26. It reads, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” Pretty good Bible leadership advice to a guy who believes in and strives to Walk the Talk on servant leadership. In fact I have written many posts on this blog on that very subject. It is mind boggling for me to think about all of the people who have been a servant to me during my life, sharing unselfishly of their time, treasures, talent, and wisdom (advice) to get me where I am today. This Bible verse reminded me of how important it is for me to be a true servant leader to those around me, and most importantly, to those I lead.

If you think about all the skills you have that have enabled you to be successful, you can probably point to someone who enabled you to hone those skills. Even though I am far from being a great father, I had a great father that modeled what great parenting was. From the kisses on the forehead to the long talks about never giving up or just being average; these are all things that are on my mind when I interact with my own son. My own experience of becoming a teacher and my commitment to students can all be traced back to a servant leader at Purdue University named Dr. Hobe Jones. You can read more by clicking here to read my post entitled “You Want Me To Do What? Teach? There is not enough internet space in the cloud to hold all the anecdotes of all those who have blessed me with their servant leadership but I must include one other.

My abilities as a teacher leader and now administrator were enabled by a man named Ralph Walker. He was my supervising teacher when I student taught, then became my principal, and ultimately became my Superintendent at the school he recruited me to start an agricultural science program. The rest is history, so to speak, but none of that history, nor the present would be possible without his having been a true servant to my leadership development needs. There are so many others that I could go on and on about here in this post like Kevin Eikenberry, who has always been there as a mentor, friend, and coach and has included me in many events of his leadership business that have helped me to grow as a leader. Or, Dr. Tony Bennett, and my Mom who taught me at a very young age that “God never shuts a door without opening a window somewhere!”

Think of all the skills needed in life to succeed. All of us are in need of leadership in our roles as spouses, teachers, administrators, business people, salesmen, CEO’s, and as friends and family members. In each of these fields, someone who is knowledgeable, whether a professional or a wise friend, is of great value to you as a servant leader. The exchange of wisdom between people is an incredible event. Good advice, the fruit of experience, is a sweet deal to those of us who hunger for wisdom.

We cannot forget, however, our obligation to become a servant to others to provide that same wisdom those we lead hunger for. Always remember the leadership lesson of Matthew: “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” That’s pretty good advice from the ultimate leadership manual – The Bible!