Creating a Life That Counts
Although success can easily be defined as the achievement of goals, there’s a difference between temporary and lasting success. I don’t believe you achieve lasting success unless you add another ingredient to the mixture and that is to serve a cause greater than yourself. That’s what lasting success is all about, and that is what servant leadership is all about.
It seems all too rare these days to encounter leaders who are able to fulfill their roles in the truest sense of the word—to be both servant and leader. And yet we know they are out there—and what is more, there are many, many others who, if they had the example, the inspiration, and the instructions, could master a leadership approach that is at once flexible, easy to understand, and most important effective.
The Servant Leadership notion is at once simple and profound. Though it may be “simple,” it is not easy. It requires a deep sense of humanity, of doing what is right, of commitment, and of deciding to “make your life count.” If we lead with this notion in mind, we have broken leadership down to its essence.
As someone who continues to think about, write about, and learn about leadership, I am moved by the bold new effort of my alma mater to create the Center for Servant Leadership. The Center reminds us that “leadership is not about you—it is about them, and that leadership is both incredibly soft and unceasingly hard.”
I have worked with leaders of all stripes, and what I like most about the Servant Leadership approach is that it works—it is not an academic theory.
President Jack Ohle has been modeling this approach since he began at Gustavus, and it has reaped deep results and helped create a world-class college that embodies the value of servant leadership.
Esteemed leadership thinker Peter Drucker said, “I never predict. I simply look out the window and see what is visible but not yet seen.” And in 2011, President Ohle and the Board of Trustees saw what was “visible” and created the Center for Servant Leadership. The Center is a gift to Gustavus students, alumni and the broader world.
It’s a new world, with leaders, organizations and society facing massive change and a future yet to be defined. It is a time for a new, powerful, relevant, response by Gustavus. A new era called. Gustavus responded.
The Center has been eagerly embraced by students and alums—people determined that indeed, their college will be the college of the future. We alums, in particular, are grateful for the vision, the wisdom, and the generosity of all the people involved in the launching of this new Center. Our college leaders “looked out the window,” and what they saw is their gift to all whose lives will be touched when they connect with the Center.
I acknowledge that it takes tremendous commitment, discipline, and sometimes great courage to launch something like the Center. So far, this has been quite a journey. I say “so far” because I have observed that lasting success requires lasting engagement, and there is so much yet to learn.
Anything worth doing, usually, cannot be done alone. We hope that you will share your stories, observations and insights in this journal. Extraordinary people are simply ordinary people doing extraordinary things that matter to them. And, we know that there are many extraordinary students, faculty, staff and alums that are doing extraordinary things to make their lives count.
We are beginning to measure successful lives by how we’ve lived, what we’ve contributed, and who we’ve served, rather than what we have. We’re no longer asking ourselves to be the best “in” the world, but rather to be the best “for” the world. And, that’s the heart and soul of servant leadership.
About the Author
RICHARD J. LEIDER is founding partner of The Inventure Group, a coaching and consulting firm in Minneapolis. He is the author of Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose, and other books. Richard is a nationally known writer, speaker, and career coach, and a pioneer in the field of Life/Work Planning. A National Certified Career Counselor; he has been helping people to discover their life’s purpose for more than thirty years.