Blanchard Ken - Servant Leader

FOR:

I thank God for the leader you already are,
and pray He will continue to guide you as you serve
all those who look to you for leadership.

FROM:

DATE:

THE
SERVANT
LEADER

TRANSFORMING YOUR HEART,
HEAD, HANDS, & HABITS

KEN BLANCHARD
AND PHIL HODGES

Copyright 2003 by Blanchard Family Partnership and Phil Hodges.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this book are from the New International Version (NIV) 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

The New King James Version (NKJV) 1979, 1980, 1982, 1992, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publisher.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 by the Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT) 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill. All rights reserved.

Designed by Lookout Design, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

ISBN-13: 978-0-8499-9659-7

Printed and bound in Singapore

www.thomasnelson.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHOM DO YOU FOLLOW?
HOW WILL YOU LEAD?

He who is GREATEST
among you shall be your SERVANT.

And whoever EXALTS himself
will be HUMBLED,

and he who HUMBLES himself
will be EXALTED.

MATTHEW 23: 11 12 (NKJV)

TURNING THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER
INTO A SERVANT LEADER

Business and beliefs . Jesus and your job. Personal and professional. Servant and leader. Even seeing those words paired together makes many people uneasy. Our sophisticated culture encourages us to draw lines and keep our spiritual lives separate from our secular lives. Faith is for Sundays or family gatherings only. Right?

I, too, once modeled my life after that tired pattern, and I had a generally good, successful life. Blanchard Training and Development was alive and well. But in 1982, my world changed dramatically for the better when I encountered Jesus in a new, exciting way. At the time, I was still stunned by the runaway sales of Spencer Johnsons and my business book The One Minute Manager and was looking for some sort of explanation for why our work had been so blessed.

One of the first people to point me seriously to the Lord was my longtime friend Phil Hodges, co-author of this book and the co-founder with me of The Center for Faithwalk Leadership, now known as Lead Like Jesus. I was interested, but I didnt take the Lord into my heart completely for some time. Later, on the way to speak at a conference, I found myself sitting across the airplane aisle from successful businessman, author, and speaker Bob Buford. Talking with Bob helped me realize that we all fall short of perfection, and the only way we can close the gap between where we are and that perfection, is through a relationship with Jesus. Sensing that I was showing some interest, Bob turned me over to Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago.

What a one two punch! Buford and Hybels explained grace to me in a brand new way. They opened my eyes to the power of the Word. And they taught me that as Christians, we get three consultants for the price of onethe Father who started life, the Son who lived life, and the Holy Spirit who handles the daily operations of life.

As my perspective on faith changed, so did my views on leadership. I realized that Christians have more in Jesus than just a great spiritual leader; we have a practical and effective leadership model for all organizations, for all people, for all situations. The more I read the Bible, the more I realized that Jesus did everything Id ever taught or written about over the yearsand He did it perfectly. He is simply the greatest leadership model for all time.

What is leadership? Its an influence processany time you are trying to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of another, you are engaging in leadership. Given that definition, you can see that Jesus is our model for leadership wherever we gonot just at work. Thats why Phil and I were excited about writing this book together.

Our hope for this book . We want you to experience Jesus in a whole different way. To grow to trust Him as the perfect One to follow as you seek to lead others. He is so clear about how He wants us to lead. He wants us to make a difference in the world we live in by being effective servant leaders.

It is our prayer and desire that this book will be the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in your personal journey to becoming an effective servant leader. This book is designed to guide you in exploring your personal response to Jesus call to Follow Me and put into action the principles of servant leadership.

So, is this a business book? Yes. Is this is self-help book? Yes. Is this an inspirational book? Yes. Simply put, its a tool to help you to take God out of the spiritual compartment of your private spiritual life and give Him free reign in all your daily actions and relationships, especially your leadership roles.

Dont just read this book with your eyes; pull it into your heart, mind, and actions. We suggest the following steps to help you reap the greatest benefits of this book:

1. Pray for focus and insight each time you read.

2. As you encounter Aha! ideas that challenge your leadership behaviors and motives... stop right there. Ask yourself how you can realign your leadership over the next two days. Be specific.

3. Keep a journal of your Aha! ideas and action steps.

4. Review your progress and give yourself some praise.

We want you to trust Jesus as your leadership model, so whether youre leading in business, in nonprofit organizations, in your community, or at home, you will make Jesus smile.

Read on, and let Jesus begin the transformation in you.

KEN BLANCHARD & PHIL HODGES

JESUS CALLED THEM TOGETHER AND SAID, YOU KNOW THAT THE RULERS OF THE GENTILES LORDED OVER THEM, AND THEIR HIGH OFFICIALS EXERCISE AUTHORITY OVER THEM. NOT SO WITH YOU. INSTEAD, WHOEVER WANTS TO BE GREAT AMONG YOU MUST BE YOUR SERVANT, AND WHOEVER WANTS TO BE FIRST AMONG YOU MUST BE YOUR SLAVE JUST AS THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY.

MATTHEW 20:2528

In His instructions to His first disciples on how they were to lead, Jesus sent a clear message to all those who would follow Him that leadership was to be first and foremost an act of service. No Plan B was implied or offered in His words. He placed no restrictions or limitations of time, place, or situation that would allow us to exempt ourselves from His command. For a follower of Jesus, servant leadership isnt just an option; its a mandate.