Intentional Leadership: Serving Your Way Up

Earned vs Gained

A wise man once told me, earned authority is better than gained authority. What I mean by this is earning the favor of people as you move up the ladder is vital for driving your personal growth within your company. So many times we miss out on giving importance to certain people simply because we don’t deem them important enough to us. We have degrees of kindness and favor that changes with different people. But I think to maintain true and genuine authenticity in your leadership style it is vital that you learn to respect everyone alike. You honor people for who they are and not for what they are. This quote below is what I believe to be a truth by which “intentional” leaders live and lead.

The truth is that we are not going to feel like treating everyone well all the time. Yes, we may have different mood swings that may cause us to change our behavior towards different people but to remain consistent in our attitude towards people and consistent in our own growth we have to be intentional. We need to be intentionally serving people well with sincerity of heart. There have been times when I personally have struggled with this and have often wavered but again and again, I see the fruits of intentional serving and it is highly satisfying and it makes me want to pursue it even in times when I don’t feel like it.

Why You Should Serve People

When you as a leader serve people in your company well you are unintentionally creating a healthy atmosphere. Leaders always determine the culture that flows through an organization. Toxic Leaders produce toxic organizations – Enron is the best example I can think of in this context. Intentional servant leaders create a culture where people can realize their fullest potential.

The point is this – serve your way up. Put the personal and professional needs of your colleagues above your own. Earn their favor. Understand the people around you, study them and see how you can help them become more successful. By applying this principle, you will see that you will find your own success in helping those around you become successful.

Businesses are not run by software, machinery and assets alone. Businesses are run by people. People who have emotions and feelings and are quite often driven by them. So it’s vital that you are intentional in the way you lead every day, staying conscious and emotionally intelligent of your environment. And it has all got to be intentional. Burnout is a possibility if you feel like your needs are not being met as a result of always serving others without taking the time to refresh and receive. Therefore, it is vital for intentional servant leaders to have a strong inner circle of people who are on their similar wavelength or share similar responsibilities.

So..serve you way up, it’s a more proven way to grow rather than manipulating or striving to promote yourself.

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