Leadership and Service
“…Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermo-dynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love…”
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
What is Leadership?
The word leader stands for different things to different people. Many community groups seek to define what they value in leaders. In the Massachusetts Leadership Academy we value shared leadership. This is leadership that works to bring people together, sharing the many activities that lead to satisfying meetings and time together. Leaders recognize others when they contribute, show others how they can join in and help out, is someone that can be relied on to follow through, and lives by values that the group respects. Being a leader means working well with others and standing for the good of the group rather than for one’s self-interest alone.
The person that shows up an hour early to open the doors or to make coffee for the group is showing leadership by reliably welcoming people. The person who speaks briefly when giving opinions in a decision-making discussion, and encourages others to speak their mind is showing leadership. When redefined in that way, a person takes leadership when they do something that supports and strengthens the group.