Serving Authority: re Interests and Integrity

Interests are not a bad word, and are necessary for servant leadership

Selfless serving is actually antithetical to authentic service

Leadership is not about dominance or ego trip. It’s about execution and serving the purpose and interests of others, first the authority above you, but also the needs and interests of staff and clients, and perhaps of yourself. What do ‘interests’ and serving have to do with each other? Everything! How can you authentically serve those to whom you are accountable when you do not understand their interests?

Interests may be ideological, emotional, or personal-political, not just materialistic. Everyone is accountable and has to serve someone. If you have integrity you will seek to promote their interests, and not in a shallow or narrow minded way. You would dedicate time and energy to make them look good, to make their vision a reality, to follow their blatant or more subtle directives, bring them value and results, and cause their job to be easier.

This mode requires integrity because it needs to come from within you. It is easy to fake it and not truly serve another’s interests. It requires authenticity because by introspection and self-awareness you can understand your own interests and feelings, and act in a way that serves them in a deep way, when no one else will know how and to what extent. You must come to terms with yourself, and compromise if need be, in order to serve. Be true to yourself. Put things on the table in your mind and decide to serve, or respectfully fulfill your obligations and gracefully step aside.

Self-sacrifice is not sustainable and not necessary in the workplace. Your job is to do your job, and take your wages, not fulfill your ideological agenda or support your self-ideals. You are not the hero, your superior is. Your role is to empower them. This is of course not without compensation or reward, even beyond the salary you take home. Obviously when you serve others, often you will be honored or promoted, you will learn skills, build qualifications, collect connections, and access opportunities. No one is asking you to be a saint. If so, they might be manipulating you. If it comes from you, to be martyr-saint, then you are not serving but rather are motivated by your own interests above theirs. Don’t make servant leadership a matter of proving your virtue and taking moral high ground.

A wiser and realistic approach is to serve the interests of your superiors and others, and also your own interests. If you can find a constructive way to serve their interests and your own interests, then you will be able to last longer working for them and consistently understanding and serving them better. Self-awareness and serving your own interests, but not at their expense, rather to serve their interests and your own, and others, is holistic and more productive. If you don’t think you have interests then you are naive and immature, and if hypothetically you don’t have interests - then you should grow up and get some. They will hope to motivate you to work better and serve more. It will also be easier for your leadership when they know your interests, that way they can reward and motivate you.

#leadership