Leadership Lingo. Servanthood Slogans.

When I was a pastor/parish priest I was a lousy leader. There are many reasons for that. I'll admit that I'm still sorting that out.

These days, of course, I'm no longer a pastor. I work in a super market as a manger of what's called the Front End, i.e., the cashiers and baggers and cart handlers (at least, as it's organized at the store that employs me).

When I was invited to join the management team at the store, the person who held the interview revealed that the primary reason I was selected was my "leadership." I always thought of myself as hardworking but only average on the job. It seems that I was perceived as leading even as a store employee.

That remark has stuck in my mind because I never had an intention of leading in any way. I simply, moment by moment, projected how Jesus would behave and I attempted to be that and to do that to the best of my ability. Apparently, that Jesus-ness was seen as leadership.

Go figure.

Now, as a member of the leadership team of this business, perhaps interestingly, I actually am intentional in not attempting to lead.

From the first day I held the title of manager, I spoke openly in the language of a servant, using the verbs of servanthood.

In the way our front end operates, a manager's job consists significantly of dealing with problems cashiers have.

When a cashier calls my name, my most common reply is, "How may I serve you?" By now, I've probably said those words more than a thousand times. And, then, I'm always careful to conduct myself as a servant would in the presence of a master.

When I'm working and the only higher ranking manager is also present, I always greet him saying, "What can I do to serve the interests of the team?" And, no matter how menial or unpleasant the task may be, I always do it cheerfully.

These, I thought, were small things and I did them, more than anything, to remind myself that Jesus teaches that to be greatest in the Kingdom is to be slave of all.

As it turns out, these little servanthood memos to self are not a small thing.

More and more, I hear others using my little slogans.

The lowest ranking of the five managers and I often work together and lately he's taken to approaching me saying, "As you say, how can I serve the team?"

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What I'm learning is that servanthood is contagious.

In my parish priest life, I was never very good at getting people to follow when I tried to be a leader.

In this life, living as a servant, I don't try to get people to follow me ... And they do!

Could it be that Jesus was actually right: To be great is to be a servant.

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It seems to me that, in churches and denominations, the more people with authority teach and talk leadership, the less following takes place.

What would happen if those people dropped the leadership lingo and talked...and lived...as servants?

My guess is that following would just happen. At the very least, it would happen more than it is now.