Rose Mary

I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You then should wash one another’s feet -John 13:14

It was one pm by the time I reached Daisy’s beauty parlour for my regular haircut. As I stepped in, I found the place unusually empty. I could hear the strains of conversation from the inside room and soon Daisy popped her head out beckoning me to take a seat. “We’re just finishing lunch,” she said with her usual smile. In a few minutes Daisy was out and got busy getting her hair trimming instruments together. Her team of young girls also came out one by one and each went about their regular chores. “Do you have lunch with your girls everyday or was this a special occasion?” I asked. “Oh, it’s a daily routine. In fact, I bring the main fish curry for everyone and that’s shared during lunch. It’s a half hour that I really enjoy with my girls.” I looked at Daisy and I knew that I had just discovered the secret of her success as an entrepreneur.

Daisy’s business is more than two decades old, and she has managed to keep it running at a modest pace, but what is very significant is the quality of her leadership. Her team of girls have become expert beauticians but none of them have ever thought of switching jobs for better prospects. There are many days when Daisy is late or absents herself entirely. Yet the quality of the service they render to the customer, and the discipline they maintain in the premises, remains just the same.

This style of functioning is gaining popularity in the present age and is often referred to as servant leadership. It focuses on humility and a high level of interpersonal acceptance, and is certainly not confined to official positions or business management. Each one of us is a leader in our own right. Whether we manage a family, or parents, or in-laws or even the guests in our house, we will do well to earn our leadership positions through a spirit of service that is fortified with a genuine love and concern for the other.

An aspect of servant leadership is self determination. This is the quality that can help you to regulate your own actions, or reactions as the case may be. Not every one we come across is endearing by nature. Sometimes, we have to deal with people who can try the patience of a saint. The true servant leader can set aside immediate feelings of irritation or anger to practise the art of conquering through love and care. A popular story of Mother Teresa tells of an incident when she went to a bakery in Calcutta to beg for bread for the children of her orphanage. In anger the owner spat at her face. Mother Teresa calmly wiped her face and said.” Ok , that was for me but now can you give me some bread for the children”. The impact of that one act of humility and self determination won over a life long disciple. The bakery owner became the chief bread donor to the orphanage—the person who supplied them whenever they were in need. A successful servant leader wields an influence that is unmatched by other more obvious kinds of leadership styles that we observe around us.

Leadership lessons from the Bible place greatest emphasis on interpersonal acceptance and deep humility, the core aspects of servant leadership. In fact, our Lord Jesus goes a step further when He insists on a loving response to the enemy. The last supper was a culmination of all He had shared with His apostles over the years He had been with them. In a spellbinding moment, Jesus got up from the table and bent down to wash His disciples’ feet. When Peter objected, He explained that their relationship required this essential form of bonding. After the task was completed, He reiterated what He had done as their Lord and Teacher and exhorted them to do it for each other.

The message is strong and clear. Leadership, in Christian parlance, is a leadership of service, powered by a divine love that enables the person to reach beyond insult and injury, beyond age or position, to establish the kingdom of God on earth.