The 7 Laws Series: Law 4

Audrey Rindlisbacher Podcast

“Leadership is a gift. You can’t buy it, you can’t sell it, you can’t trade it. You either have it or you don’t. It is the most valuable commodity on the planet, and it is the rarest commodity we have. But it’s not just any type of leadership, it’s leadership without ego. It’s servant-leadership.” ~Bob Davids As moms, we often practice principles of servant-leadership without realizing it. But what if we better understood this most powerful leadership style? What if we began practicing it more in our homes and gradually gained the knowledge and skills to more effectively practice it in our communities as well? Think of the powerful force for good we could be as we learn to become the influential servant-leaders God intends us to be! Join Audrey as she outlines the characteristics of servant-leadership. You'll be encouraged by examples of how ordinary people who become servant-leaders have impacted the world for good. And you'll see how nurturing these characteristics in yourself can improve you and your family immensely! Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 1:40 An Introduction to Servant-Leadership 4:12 Birth of the Term Servant-Leadership 8:13 Authority is Not Leadership 9:28 Characteristics of Servants 10:37 Characteristics of Leaders 15:14 Servant-Leaders Love Self first 17:59 Vision, Values, Competence 19:50 Judgement, a Sustaining Spirit, Goals 22:11 Listening, Language, Resources, Study, Regular Renewal, Institutions for Service 24:50 How We See Problems 25:53 The Great Impediment to Leadership 26:35 Example of Servant-Leadership Quotes from this episode: “Leadership is a gift. You can’t buy it, you can’t sell it, you can’t trade it. You either have it or you don’t. It is the most valuable commodity on the planet, and it is the rarest commodity we have. But it’s not just any type of leadership, it’s leadership without ego. It’s servant leadership.” ~Bob Davids “...the great leader is seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness...His servant nature—his desire to help others—was a part of his character, and it could not be taken away. That’s why he was a servant first, a servant at heart.” ~ Robert K. Greenleaf “You're only a leader when people decide to follow you. They follow you because they can see that you are worthy of being followed, that you are going somewhere they want to go.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher “Servant-leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. ” ~Robert K. Greenleaf “Authority or positions of authority are not the same as leadership.” ~Robert K. Greenleaf “Leadership is about influence rather than power and control. It's about inspiration rather than position and title. It's about focusing on others strengths rather than weaknesses. It's about listening rather than giving orders. It's about humility rather than pride, the big picture rather than self-interest. It's about long-range benefits rather than short term profit. It is about creating new futures rather than maintaining the status quo.” ~Barclay Corporation “The servant-leader is meeting a real, natural need that people have. The difference between a servant first and a leader first manifests itself in the care taken by the servant, first to make sure other people's highest priority needs are being served.” ~Robert K. Greenleaf A gauge for servant-leadership - “...do those served grow as persons. Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more like themselves, and more likely to become servants?