Excellent leadership is about serving

2026-03-29 - 00:35

Elder Arnold Gopeesingh “But Jesus called them unto Him and said, ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25 to 28) Quote: “Servant leadership is easy for people with high self-esteem. Such people have no problem giving credit to others. They have no problem listening to other people for ideas. They have no problem building other people up.”—Ken Blanchard. There are those who see becoming a leader as the opportunity to control and manipulate people in whatever way they so desire. Jesus, in the above scripture, in speaking to His disciples, taught them the real purpose when you are granted the divine chance to lead in whatever forum that presents itself to you. The keyword in His discourse with His disciples is “service” to others. When we look at the very life of Jesus Christ, without a shadow of a doubt, it was one filled with serving others. We read in Matthew 4:23: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people”—service in action. While His main message was one of hope and restoring man back to God as declared in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” His love for people was shown by the deeds He did as He proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus Christ showed those around Him who were aspiring to be first or lead what real leadership was all about. “Servant” leadership should not be just confined to religious organisations, but I believe it should be practised in all walks of life. I have found out that people are more enthusiastic to follow that type of personality. No one likes to be pushed around, disrespected, or treated with scant courtesy, making them feel that they are inferior to the leader. While leadership is crucial, the way you lead can determine whether what you do will succeed or fail. We must never allow the position or title to go to our heads so that we become untouchable as a leader. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, look what He said in Matthew 19:13 to 15: “Then were they brought unto Him, little children, that He should put His hands on them and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And He laid his hands on them and departed thence.” The Saviour of the world took the time off His busy schedule to serve the children at that time. This is true humility and someone with a servant’s heart. Willing to come down to where they were, who would not be drawn by His action? In this fast-paced environment that we are living in, let us not get so busy that we miss the great opportunity to serve others. It is not good enough as a leader to always be buried in paperwork and meetings and not at times turn off the switch and see those that you can help, hearing their concerns and trying to make life better for them. “Service matters, and excellent service takes into account connecting with people physically.” Now we all have the potential to lead; I do not believe that leaders are special people who are born this way. Yes, there are people who have special gifts from birth, etc. But when a person sees a challenge and takes up the responsibility to get the job done, pulling people alongside him/her, that is leadership in action. It is all about rising up and saying, “Yes, I can.” I encourage all to see yourself always in the light as a servant to others, for to me, there is no greater joy than to bring light into someone else’s dark world. While you do not look for rewards, your positive actions towards others do not go unnoticed. I conclude with this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” Serve, and thou shalt be served.” Stay strong.