View from the Summit

Leadership is a topic that is usually discussed in a business or work context, but today I want to talk to you about leadership within the family. Let me share my thoughts with you on how you can be a ‘Servant Leader’ in your family.

The word ‘Servant Leadership’ makes some of us uncomfortable because it sounds like we are being asked to act as a doormat for other people or as if we are being asked to play the role of ‘the nice guy’, who is weak and taken advantage of by everyone.

But that is far from the truth.

Servant leadership is about being a real man. It is one of the most powerful forms of leadership where you serve your family with unconditional love, going the last mile for your wife, exercising authority with compassion, putting your family’s needs ahead of yours, taking leadership decisions without thinking about your own agenda, doing the right things that need to be done and leading your family to a good place.

Do you ever get stressed? That’s a pretty dumb question because everyone experiences stress. Some people handle stress well, while others suffer with its consequences. As we think more about getting things done, we need to stop and talk honestly about the effect stress has on you and your family.

Recently we decided to offer a survey in our church to assess the needs of our marriages. A little over 11% of our married couples responded, but we expected that. Most people don’t like to throw their junk out there even if it is anonymous. The survey revealed a lot of things but four of the five biggest issues our couples needed help to deal with were:

I hope you’ve been reading our book of the month—The Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. No matter where you are in your business, personal, or spiritual journey, the truths in this book will make you stop and think. The subtitle keeps echoing in my mind: Are you making things happen or just making noise? 

It’s easy to just do something; but it’s much more difficult to do something that matters. It requires us to understand more about who we are and the impact we want to have on the present and future generations.