Leadership is Service. After preparing this two part series for ImpactBank’s: the Kickass Koach (episodes 26 and 27)….I came across a CBC interview with National Chief Perry Bellegarde from Spring of 2015 (here’s a link to the April 30,2015 show the interview starts in minute 25). Chief Bellegarde, (minute 36), shares his view of leadership: “helping”– or in his birth language of Cree, oskapewis. Applying this to leadership is powerful; the Chief says it is about trying to make a difference. Chief Bellegarde speaks eloquently about the need for balance and his passion for his goal of closing “the gap” which is the opportunity to break down the obstacles that hold Canada’s indigenous peoples down. While his mission carries “life and death” consequences, he, like every effective leader, recognizes his role is to serve a community with passion and commitment…to engender and even require respect for the community and every unique member.
“As a leader, I see myself as a helper—in Cree, ‘oskapewis’— and I promise to honour the faith that has been placed in me….to bring about the transformative change we all want for our peoples.” -AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde
Over the holidays and preparing to transition from 2015 to 2016 I, like many Canadians, felt transfixed by two major human stories: the story inspiring the Truth & Reconciliation Commission‘s report and the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Leaders are measured by their ability to lead in big moments–and both of these represent the biggest opportunities for leadership.
As a Canadian, I have been filled with pride about our collective good will as represented by our outreach to make life better for our own indigenous peoples through a commitment to all 94 “Calls to Action” outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report and our commitment to bringing Syrian refugees to Canada.
During my reflections and sharing with family I explored my connection to both. My family’s support of the Timber Bay Children’s Home in Montreal Lake, Saskatchewan (a residential school) and my grandparents’ experience as refugees to Canada. I had more direct access to information on the later so I focused there recognizing the difficulty I may have in coming to understand the former.
My grandfather was not a Grand Chief and yet he too set an example of service first which included doing the right thing no matter the cost, generosity, courage and hard work.
During this holiday season I have been reflecting on the impact of leadership focused on service. For this two episode series, I share more personally about how this has touched me and the links I am drawing to leadership and specifically the importance of instilling service in the minds of new leaders during the on-boarding process.
My maternal grandparents started their journey from a retaining camp in Germany on borrowed travel documents in 1923 (links that offer some information include doc # 1 & doc #2). My grandmother was cleared early so she sailed alone and established a life for them in Western Saskatchewan during the cold of winter awaiting my grandfather, who was finally approved to join her in 1924.
Before being cleared to come to Canada my grandfather had been required to sign a guarantee to repay the expenses related to their resettlement in Canada. Recognizing with life-changing opportunity comes great responsibility, my grandfather chose to co-sign for another couple who, for various reasons, were unable to secure their approval without a third party guarantee. He demonstrated a compassionate heart/empathy and surprising level of trust for a couple he just met in the retaining camp. He was willing to guarantee their debt out of trust for the inherent goodness of people and his own belief in his ability to do the necessary work if required.
As I share in the story Episode #26, the couple he trusted ultimately reneged on their debt for travel after being given more than 10 years to repay and my grandfather was surprised by the the demand letter that arrived long after he had repaid his debt in full and committed to raising a family of 9. Likely exacerbated by the additional workload, in 1946 on Thanksgiving morning just as he was sitting down for breakfast with his family he collapsed and died of heart failure.
Only over these holidays did I learn of their status as refugees, the time in a retaining camp and his sacrifice to support strangers. As I say earlier, my grandfather was not a grand chief …he didn’t lead a department, or a company….AND yet he was an example to his family and family-to-be. While he wasn’t present to fully raise his young family he set a tone…. an example of service. I agree with Chief Bellegrade, leadership is all about service. Bringing about transformative change regardless of where you serve; service to a mission, a vision, a purpose. Service is about seeking to do the right thing no matter what the cost.
Many years ago a leadership mentor told me, you know the character of a leader not by the beliefs they claim to have but by the beliefs they live every day, especially when they find their backs against a wall. What beliefs are you living every day? What is your example as a leader?
Service-minded leadership is not learned in a classroom or the boardroom, it is nurtured and inspired and springs from the depths of a person. It requires commitment to growth and a deep humility.
What are you doing in your organization to inspire and nurture leaders in service? What are you doing as a leader to hold yourself to a standard befitting a trusted leader of service?
A leader who can truly empathize with the experiences of others is not only respectful of difference but inspires it in others.
Service Minded Leadership is not about a position….it’s a mindset. You grow into leadership–a promotion to a leadership role is an opportunity to become a leader. It certainly doesn’t make you one.
So what are the qualities of a leader in service? ImpactBank: the Kickass Koach is launching a seven part series on January 8th to explore this more thoroughly using the model of Tilt 365. My initial reflections on the subject, as I outlined in Episode #27 of the podcast, caused me to consider the following six.
- Vulnerability or Humility–A leader resists being self protective to avoid being being taken for granted or taken advantage of. A willingness to be of service requires you to be open…wide open and this may mean people take advantage of your strength, skill and desire to help. It also ensures you have rich learning and growth opportunities that self-protective people never experience. While in your darker moments you may feel you are weak, this kind of leader is stronger than most. Infact you will be strong enough to recognize and act on the ideas and break-through opportunities that will be made possible for your team or organization.
- A leader who is courageous in the face of adversity or difficulty finds the strength, resilience necessary to stand firm and steadfast. It is this courage that forms a deep integrity and often the tenacious mindset that engenders trust and followership from the masses. Of course it is this courage that allows you and your team to over come the odds and prevail in the long term.
- While firm and resolute in your mission….. a leader in service remains open to a variety of perspectives recognizing the possibilities that exist outside and beyond your own limited view. It’s critical to note, you will need to be prepared to face your limiting beliefs and deeply held biases in order to maintain perspective.
- Integrity–A leader in service values honour & duty. Doing the right thing regardless of the personal cost epitomizes the servant leader. In episode 25 we discussed just how powerful fairness is to inspire performance so should you choose to be this leader you will always find people following.
- With a deeply rooted self-confidence a leader in service trusts and is trusted which opens wide their possibilities to take big risks, to break new ground, to forge new ideas and bring innovation to life.
- Empathy that breeds compassion. As I mention in the podcast, I struggled with adding this because it so closely links to points #1 and #3. I wonder though if it is possibly another layer on humility and perspective. A leader who can truly empathize with the experiences of others is not only respectful of difference but inspires it in others. It is essential to leadership in a diverse environment.
I am energized by the task of exploring this further and look forward to moving through the seven part series ahead where we will dig more deeply into what is required of us to master this art of leadership.
Happy New Year! All the best to you and yours in 2016.
Make it a kickass year!