Leading by Serving

Day 5 - Saturday, December 3, 2011

A full day of work greeted us as we arrived at the work site. The building was taking shape. Block walls were closed in. Buckets of paint were pulled out. Rebar was piled up. Windows were stacked up just outside and the team was ready to go.

The week had already been long. Although the weekend had arrived, there was to be no rest on this day. The team was united in its desire to see the building's completion. I found myself marveling at the team and the team's performance. Imagine a team of 50 principals, superintendents, and Lifetouch executives/managers. Every team member is a leader in their professional life and yet, here in this place, each willingly took upon themselves the mantle of a servant.

From the beginning, the Dominicans and their leaders were in charge. Our team looked to them for instruction and guidance. They decided how each step of the building process would be performed. They decided who would do what. In this way, the new school was truly theirs. We simply came alongside them to help them in their work. Painters showed superintendents how to roll paint on concrete. Masons pointed out the intricacies of leveling concrete block to executives. Construction helpers had principals straightening nails to be re-used. Everywhere you looked a Dominican was teaching, guiding, and directing a group of Americans.

Servant Leadership is not a new concept. Too often it is referenced, but not put into practice. As a principal, I believe it is my job to serve the students, teachers, and parents. I am supposed to remove barriers and locate resources. I am to assist where needed and anticipate needs. For a week, I have watched an amazing group fully live out the tenets of servant leadership. I am sure that there were times that a team member might have wanted to suggest an alternate way of accomplishing a task, but instead chose to follow.

As we worked, I was proud to see members complete assigned tasks and then immediately go looking for the next thing to do. There was no slowing down. I watched as team members encouraged each other on and pushed themselves. Their work ethic inspired and challenged me to continue to give my best.

One of the final tasks of the day was to rub down the stucco to prepare it for paint. Each square inch had to be sanded with a piece of concrete block. To reach the ceiling and upper walls, platforms were made from planks and stacks of concrete block. These pseudo-platforms were never  perfectly stable. The team members who climbed up on them to accomplish the work did not have to worry though as their partners steadied the contrivance while they were working. Team members were serving and looking out for each other.

Servanthood seemed to come naturally to the team. They obviously practice serving others routinely. Leading by serving built a school in the Dominican Republic. It truly is the only way to bring a group of people together to accomplish a task using their very best efforts. The truth is that when you serve those around you they, in turn, look for opportunities to serve others. Your initial servanthood inspires those around you to do the same. I know that I have been encouraged by the eagerness and willingness of the team to serve.