making the connection between leading and serving in the law
There’s an interesting post over at Managers Realm [as tipped by the Be Excellent blog] discussing the nexus between leading and serving. According to its author, Gary Bourgeault, the guiding tenet of “true leaders and great managers” is this: “You're not to think of yourself as over people but rather their servants.”
Bourgeault cites some major historical precedent for approaching leadership with the mindset of a servant. And he concludes with this timeless observation: “It's shocking for those who get this, to see how they draw more from the wells of water deep within their people, than those who have to battle, fight, threaten and bully to get what is needed to be done accomplished.”
Reading Bourgeault’s words, I couldn’t help but ponder how many law firm leaders and managers think that – and act like - they’re in the business of serving the attorneys they lead and manage. To really embrace the role of a servant, they would also have to embrace the kind of business intimacy that lawyers typically eschew.
This is not my first exposure to this topic. My longtime friend, author and speaker Shar McBee, teaches business managers and leaders around the globe about making the connection between leading and serving. You can read more about her work and books at her official site, To Lead Is To Serve.
While I’m on the topic of leadership, I’d like to note that Mark Beese’s terrific blog, Leadership for Lawyers, is now on the roster of Law.com affiliate blogs. Welcome, Mark.
Trackbacks (0)
Links to blogs that reference this article
Trackback URL
http://www.legalsanity.com/admin/trackback/3669
Comments (0)
Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
There’s an interesting post over at Managers Realm [as tipped by the Be Excellent blog] discussing the nexus between leading and serving. According to its author, Gary Bourgeault, the guiding tenet of “true leaders and great managers” is this: “You're not to think of yourself as over people but rather their servants.”
Bourgeault cites some major historical precedent for approaching leadership with the mindset of a servant. And he concludes with this timeless observation: “It's shocking for those who get this, to see how they draw more from the wells of water deep within their people, than those who have to battle, fight, threaten and bully to get what is needed to be done accomplished.”
Reading Bourgeault’s words, I couldn’t help but ponder how many law firm leaders and managers think that – and act like - they’re in the business of serving the attorneys they lead and manage. To really embrace the role of a servant, they would also have to embrace the kind of business intimacy that lawyers typically eschew.
This is not my first exposure to this topic. My longtime friend, author and speaker Shar McBee, teaches business managers and leaders around the globe about making the connection between leading and serving. You can read more about her work and books at her official site, To Lead Is To Serve.
While I’m on the topic of leadership, I’d like to note that Mark Beese’s terrific blog, Leadership for Lawyers, is now on the roster of Law.com affiliate blogs. Welcome, Mark.
http://www.legalsanity.com/admin/trackback/3669