Motivated to Lead

Lessons from September’s Servant Leadership Community of Practice

What is your WHY when it comes to leadership?

In our September 2022 Community of Practice, we discussed Patrick Lencioni’s most recent book, The Motive, where he challenges people to think about their own motivation to lead and looks at why people become leaders of others in the first place.

He makes a case that there are only two kinds of leaders: Responsibility-Centered Leaders (servant-leaders) and Reward-Centered Leaders (non-servant-leaders).

Ask yourself… 

Are you a Responsibility-Centered or a Reward-Centered Leader?  How can you tell? 

Look for these clues…

Are you motivated by personal reward for your hard work or a desire for power, status, money? 

OR

Do you have a desire to serve and to bring out the best in other people?

Lencioni urges us to think “big picture.” How can I serve others to enhance a situation instead of serving myself? Ask the questions: What do I need? What do they need? What do we need together?

“At some point, maybe we’ll come to a place where the term servant leadership is never used because servant leadership is the only leadership.”

The good news is…

We don’t have to lead blindly if we don’t know where to start. 

Use the Growth Conversation Worksheet as a model for motivated leadership in your own organization. 

Make conversations within your teams intentional, efficient, and impactful!

It’s important to surround yourself with trusted learning partners (people who tell you the truth and help you see your blind spots). Having accountability helps you avoid pitfalls in your leadership.

Leadership is so much more than making the best sales at the end of a month. It’s about service to others, your team, your organization, and everyone around you.

If you’re looking for some quick reminders to improve your leadership in practice, here are some top takeaways.

Leadership Learning Lessons from The Motive:

1. Developing a Team – Focus on the growth of your team. Be team-minded and open to learning and developing their individual skill set.
2. Managing Others – You may need to learn and accept that your team will fail you at times, which is why it’s important to teach and manage your team by giving them your trust.
3. Having Uncomfortable Conversations – Be empathetic and listen. Foster and create a safe space for dialogue (i.e.: neutral territory, face-to-face conversations, awareness of non-verbal communication). Create a culture where there is an expectation of kind and honest feedback. 
4. Running Great Team Meetings – Set expectations before and after meetings. Focus on specific topics to engage your team and use everyone’s time efficiently.
5. Communicating with Others – Be clear with your team and communicate constantly.

Community Leadership Reflections:

Expanding on the takeaways above, our Community of Practice attendees also contributed their own leadership lessons based upon Lencioni’s reflections and stories. Our community’s leaders shared:

1. Acknowledge different types of leaders. Leaders could have different biases and styles based on if they are leading a non-profit versus for-profit organization.
2. Using a model for leadership keeps you accountable to your team. It’s critical to have structure within your organization and teams to work effectively and efficiently.
3. Examples of motivation to serve: service to others, helping others be successful, consulting for emotional intelligence in education, fulfillment in the ways we serve others.

What have you learned from this book or blog? Anything you’d add to our lists, contact us and let us know!

Additional Resources:

1. The Motive – Book available through various retailers – https://www.amazon.com/themotivepatricklencioni
2. The Four Meetings, https://files.tablegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/14163149/Avoid-Death-by-Meetings.pdf
3. The Contemporary Servant as Leader by Kent M Keith, https://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Servant-as-Leader/dp/1944338039
4. Growth Conversations Worksheet

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This blog post wraps up September 2022’s Community of Practice events. To join us during the live discussion for future months, visit https://www.sophiapartners.org/events/ and register for either or both FREE, ONLINE group discussions. Coffee & Conversation occurs the third Friday of each month at 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. CT. Leaders Do Lunch occurs the fourth Tuesday of each month at 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT.