A firewood rack and servant leadership? Seriously?! Well, when it involves an 11 year old and his stubborn dad there are leadership lessons to be learned!
The Firewood Rack
About four years ago, we built a small fire pit in our back yard. I hadn't completely thought through what we would do for firewood. So, firewood ended up disorganized and haphazardly lying around outside.
I needed a way to organize and store it. My idea was a simple firewood rack. Nothing fancy. A few pieces of pressure-treated lumber and some screws to hold it all together.
I'm not very handy but my youngest son is (he was 11 at that time). But I knew I could cobble something together that would work. And I knew I could get it done much quicker than him. So I looked up basic designs on the internet. My son was over-the-top excited about this and wanted to design and build it. Designing and building is his thing after all! I'm ashamed to admit that I selfishly (or was that stubbornly?!) insisted on doing it myself.
Sure, I had justifications that seemed valid. My son tends to spend lots of time finding the absolute best, perfect design that suits his fancy. But I can't seem to determine what his 'fancy' usually is. And he often doesn't know... at least not until he sees it. So he tends to "over do it". There wasn't time for that. Or...that's what I thought.
I finally came to my senses and involved him in the process. We agreed on a design. He drew it up. We bought the lumber. And under his watchful eye we built it.
Yes, it likely took longer than if I would've thrown together my quick solution to a small problem. But what was the true end result? What was gained?
He pointed out some design flaws. We got to spend time together talking through the design, buying the materials, and then building it. I showed that I valued him. And he got to do something he absolutely loves doing.
Servant Leadership?
Reflecting on such a seemingly simple, mundane event made me realize some important things about life and leadership. Mainly:
Everyday events are often the best places to practice servant leadership!
I also realized that I need to be paying closer attention to the little details around me.
So what did this firewood rack experience teach me about servant leadership?
Humility. This life isn't just about me and the endless tasks to be completed and problems to be solved. That's just as true in our professional lives as it is in our personal lives. Allow others to help. Ask for help (better yet, ask someone else to do the bulk of the work). Accept feedback, knowing that the other person has something of value to offer. See Leading: Be Humble, or Be Humbled.
Relationship. Know someone well enough to know their strengths. And it's not enough to just see their strength, we must humble ourselves to ask them to use those strengths to help us, our teams, or our organization (see 'Humility' above). Building and maintaining a relationship takes time, sacrifice, and intentional focus. For more on this, read Leadership is Relationship.
Valuing others over myself. This is really about time and perceived efficiency. Saving time (i.e., efficiency) is the opposite of what's required in a relationship. Sacrificing our time shows we value the other person. And asking for someone's help/input, even when I know how to do it, shows their value. Think about how you've felt when someone has done this for you. And rather than being right, focus on treating others right — see Ripple Leadership.
Reflection
What other servant leadership lessons do you see in this story?
What seemingly simple, mundane events in your life have taught you servant leadership lessons?
Absolutely Amazing! Thank You for your continued transparency in your stories. I appreciate you leading Us into the truths we so often forget in leadership positions!
Great content Ken, I appreciate the thoughts on servanthood leadership. Valuing others above oneself is a key to gaining the trust and admiration of others. This act of serving others can be humbling as well so your three points fit very well together and is a great reminder how to lead and not just manage others.