Servant Leadership

I am a people watcher.  Always have been.  And recently, I've had the pleasure of watching my admin be servant leaders by serving breakfast to our staff, delivering water after a hot, outdoors pep rally, waiting to be last through a line to get something, etc.  It's made me take a look at what exactly a servant is versus a slave.  

I also have taken a couple of surveys to determine my own love language and to determine my giftings.  Neither were a surprise to me.  My dominant leaning for both came out to be service.  I am a practical, let's get things done kind of gal.  But, what I'm not, is a walk all over me and take advantage of me kind of person.  

So therein lies the distinction for me of servant vs slave.  Both place another person in a position of service, but one is by one's own will and another against someone's will.

You see, in watching and experiencing my leaders servant style, I've come to realize that we all, no matter our title or position, need to give a little more in this area (and I'm talking to myself too).  We are after all in the people business in education.  It's people that matter, not paperwork or programs, though those things are necessary.  It's people that drive what we do, so shouldn't we make them matter more?

My word of this school year has been MATTER, because it reminds me to make a daily choice about what matters.  If I decide and say that family matters, people matter, then I'm more likely to act in a manner that shows that.  It's a way of being held accountable to post it in a prominent location for all to see.  So, servant leadership shows people that they matter, that they are valued, and that I'm willing to put them before me.