Tag: Servant

Musical Chairs – a time honored tradition at children’s birthday parties the world over. You know it well – chairs lined back to back in rows, children anxiously pacing around in a circle, the music playing. Suddenly as the music stops, they lunge and plop into the nearest seat, eliminating the slowest or unluckiest little one. And so it goes until there is one chair occupied by one child. Be careful not to approach life like a game of musical chairs. You shouldn’t just dive into the nearest vacant chair. In life, there will be many seats that you can occupy but certain seats that were designed for you to occupy. This is where your purpose lies. When you find that seat, occupy it. Your leadership is birthed from that seat.

I like to watch tennis and typically the same broadcasters commentate all four major championships. I’m sure there are many well versed tennis experts and athletes that could do the job. However, here is the central truth to remember: No one can take your seat as long as you are in it. Until those commentators want to retire or until some ethical or health related reason causes them to have to retire, no one can remove them from their seats.

If you aren’t where you want to be in life (i.e. you aren’t in the seat you feel you should occupy) ask yourself what are the characteristics of someone who occupies that seat? What talents or abilities can you hone so that when the seat becomes available you are prepared to take it? If you are in your seat of leadership, what do you need to do to make sure you don’t lose it? If you are currently leading in your area of influence, what impediments do you need to guard against to make certain that losing your seat is always your decision?

THE LOW SEAT

Sometimes we are seated beneath our capabilities. We may be in a seat that is far below our desire. A leader will always be frustrated when they can see the solution, but aren’t in the seat from which to implement the solution. You still have to find a way to make your position known and your opinions heard in spite of the seat you sit in. Michelle Battello, Associate Director of the Proctor and Gamble CVS Team, said, “taking a ‘seat at the table’ means not giving up your voice or de-prioritizing your perspective.” The perspective you have about completing your assignment or fulfilling your purpose will not only determine your ability to finish, but also how stressed you will be as you do so. In order to move from the ‘low seat’ to the ‘high seat’ you will have to change your perspective. Perspective is about how you see what you see. As an employee at a company, what gaps do you see that will prohibit sustainability? As a member at a church, what group of people do you see as underserved or unserved? As a teacher in a school, what enrichments could you offer that would utilize your talents to improve the skills and knowledge of young people? As a business owner, what system can you change within your operation to increase your market influence? While in a ‘low seat’ of leadership instead of becoming complacent remain active in your pursuit of advancement.

THE HIGH SEAT

First things first – being in the ‘high seat’ does not make you better than everyone else. Remain humble. “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2). Most people don’t reach their peak place of leadership overnight. It takes time, trial and error, as well as years of hard work. You must be dedicated, studious and persistent. Once you arrive at this greater seat of influence, I repeat, don’t become complacent. Use your influence to bring many more people up to greater levels of leadership. The best leaders produce leaders, not followers. If you are blessed enough to become a senior pastor, CEO, Executive VP, principal, judge, business owner, or parent then use those ‘high seats’ to make sure others spend less time in ‘low seats’. Whatever your purpose is in life, one element that is universal is that we are born to exert a positive influence somewhere for someone. The higher the seat, the more ‘someones’ we can influence and inspire. Famed leadership expert John Maxwell wrote, “I believe the bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. That is achieved by serving others and adding value to their lives.”