“What can I do for you?” The Master Chief of the USS Long Beach had asked me. He’s the highest enlisted man on the ship! And he wants to do something for me?
I had been a bad boy, and on probation from a bad decision on my first ship (I served others a little too much, you might say). I had done time and was, once again, a lowly E-2 Seaman Apprentice. And here, a man with over thirty years in the Navy, wearing three stars on his rocker, was asking what he could do for me!
He knew my past. And he wanted to let me know that I wasn’t starting with a clean slate. But the U.S. Navy had seen fit to give me a second chance. He was willing to do his part. And he asked how he could serve me.
A new idea had been introduced to me, two years after the pizza girl. A Leader could be a Servant. As life went on, I learned that there was indeed a huge difference between a leader and a boss. A boss asks, “What can you do for me?” A leader asks,”What can I do for you?”
I found this on imgur.com. It is a fantastic comparison between boss and leader. However, after exhaustive searching, I have been unable to find a source to whom I can give credit. Please forgive me.
By following the Servant Leader model, entire teams are raised up rather than just the people in charge. The team members assist each other to succeed. The company recognizes performance and pulls future leaders from the team that performed so well. And those who cannot serve will leave on their own accord.
Managers and executives, it is you who must demonstrate and train your future servant leaders. Example is the best teacher. Use that to your advantage. Be the leader your team will stand behind rather than the boss they want to push into the line of fire.
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Mysteries of Customer Service 