Leadership tale

as seen in linkedin;  a very interesting fable,  by Phil Johnson, about other styles of leadership and management, and that I have to link with a similar experience that happened to me a couple of days ago.

I am associated with a local assocations that has been developed to lobby for the interesses of videogames developers, and it is frequent that we are requested for help with conferences, presentations or our participation in juries or other evalution processes of videogames. I saw the request to be in the jury of videogame contest developement, and I immediatly offered my participation, because I feel that it is my responsability to be near the people starting in the industry and provide them with valuable insights and advices. The person that was dealing with the process asked me, if I was sure that I wanted to be there, because there would be no public/media exposition to the event, and others had said no.  I answered that I was not offering because of the exposition because of my commitment: firstly, to help the association; and secondly, to help new and young blood into the industry.

So I agree with the story that a leader is to serve the others and to support the overall organization into solving its flaws and move as a whole into the future.

Now the story.

A legend tells of a French monastery known throughout Europe for the extraordinary leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks began a pilgrimage to visit Brother Leo to learn from him. Almost immediately, they began to bicker about who should do various chores.

On the third day they met another monk going to the monastery, and he joined them. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others would fight over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and do it himself. By the last day, the others were following his example, and from then on they worked together smoothly.

When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed. “But our brother is among you!” And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them.

Today, many people seek leadership positions, not so much for what they can do for others but for what the position can do for them: status, connections, perks, advantages. They do service as an investment, a way to build an impressive resume.

The parable about Brother Leo teaches another model of leadership, where leaders are preoccupied with serving rather than being followed, with giving rather than getting, with doing rather than demanding. Leadership based on example, not command. This is called servant leadership.

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