Bastogne
In this episode, we follow along with Eugene "Doc" Roe, Easy Company's medic. The 506th PIR is surrounded in the Ardennes Forest, in what is know as the Battle of the Bulge. Throughout the fighting, Doc is constantly on the move, treating the wounded, gathering supplies, and caring for the troops. Even though Doc isn't a leader by rank, he shows us in very real terms that:
Leaders Serve Others Before Self
You have likely heard the term "Servant Leader." This concept can be interpreted many different ways. Many misinterpret this concept as weakness, or that a servant leader spends all of their time trying to make everyone happy...that is not the case. Doc doesn't attempt to make everyone happy, but he certainly works hard to serve.
Discussion questions to consider...
- What does the term "Servant Leader" mean to you?
- What are the qualities that effective leaders possess?
- How have you been "served" by leaders?
- In what ways do you intend to serve others as a leader?
Servant leader to me is simply putting others needs before my own. Service above self. As in this episode the servant leader doesn’t need to be an Officer. Doc put himself in danger constantly to make sure others were taken care of, supplies were gotten and injured got to the medical unit. In this episode it also showed what to be aware of, the needs of others will never be complete. The injured just kept coming and when it looked like Doc was making progress things worsened and he eventually broke down.
ReplyDeleteWe have to make sure we take time for our own mental health. When we recognize our mind is changing or our attitude is changing its time to take a mental time out. Apply a constant amount of tension, stress, duress and pressure to ANYTHING, and eventually it/we will break.
The qualities of effective leaders to me are confidence, empowerment, trust, guidance integrity and love. When leaders trust there people enough to empower them it creates motivation. Lead with firefighter integrity not only doing the right thing when no-one is watching but doing the right thing when everyone is looking. Show love and compassion and people will follow you anywhere.
Service from leaders came to me with an invite to coffee, a phone call or text for prayers and support, and empowerment to be allowed to be a single resource for the district.
Serving other to me is a daily routine. My first question to the crew before the start of the shift is who needs what? Any personal or professional needs during the rotation? Next is there anything they would like to do? Training, or signoffs for task books needed. At times just so the crew can take a break ill cook dinner. Providing a meal when the crew has had a rough night or long day goes along way to me.
I agree with Kyle's example of a servant leader; others before self. This takes many forms. I think it's important to say that others before self does NOT mean others instead of self. Self care is very important for leaders. I firmly believe that I cannot give what I don't have. I've tried it before and I've seen others try, both without success.
ReplyDeleteEffective leaders are confident. I feel it's worth mentioning that as a follower and as a leader it's okay to be confident in what you know and what you don't. That may sound counter-intuitive. Here's what I mean by being confident in what I don't know. I've come to a place in my life where I no longer feel like I need to have all the answers. We've heard the saying, "nobody likes a know-it-all", but that's usually because the know-it-all tends to make others feel less than rather than making them better. I feel that I'm confident in what I know and it's okay that I still have things to learn as a person and a leader. I had a call the other day that didn't go as I expected and I had some unexpected challenges. As I processed things in the moment, and the many moments thereafter, I chose to learn from that situation, to communicate with my crew about it, and to be confident that we will be better hereafter. It is okay to not score 100%, do everything right, have all the answers or check every box all the time. As long as people are safe, secure, growing, communicating and working together, we are successful!
Leaders in my life (work, home/family, church) have served me in a multitude of ways. I've found that when I've felt frustration about not being served as I wanted/expected I felt/believed I wasn't being served. What I've realized is that as I look back on those situations past and present, if I make the choice to be grateful or to give grace, I can actually see how they are serving me. It's easy to realize we're being served when things go well or easy or nice for us with our leadership. My leaders have served me by being an example of poise, excellence, grace, love, fortitude and so on. Certainly there is a much deeper impact when leaders have invested in me through relational conversations and prayers.
My intention in serving others is to invest in them what I have to offer. The goal is to make them whole, confident and empowered. Personally, I am better, perform better, grow more and I'm better to be around when my leaders show that they value me and give me trust. This is what I intend to impart to others. Confident people are happier people.
Well said Arn.
DeleteJesus said in Matthew 23:11 “The greatest among you must be a servant.”
ReplyDeleteSorry so late to the party here and I don't have HBO to watch the show but thought I could still chime in a little. I agree as well being a servant leader is putting them before you. I also believe that this can be a be a detriment to one self as I have done many times. Sometimes I will put my needs/priorities so far down the list to put others first that my work/home life suffers. We need to find a balance with this in all aspects of our lives. At work usually it is easy: what do you guys want to do today, who needs food etc. Home life is the same: get food for the kids, do the dishes make sure the family taken care of. Sometimes it will need to be a bigger sacrifice of yourself and we tend to do that with little thought because it is who we are. I have learned many hard lessons that yes we put others before ourselves, however sometimes it needs to be the other way around for the health and well being of all. I also believe that if you have been a good servant leader, those times that you do put yourself first those around you will rally and support you. Hope all of that rambling makes sense
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in the discussion...even without HBO!
DeleteThe unknown above is from Cripe, not sure why my name doesn't show up
ReplyDeleteJonny, I agree that we as leaders cannot be lost in the process of caring for others. I cannot give what I do not have. If I'm not taking care of myself and making sure my needs are met how can I lead someone else to do it for themselves. There's a time for sacrificing for others and a time for self care. Jesus would go away by himself or with his closest disciples; to recharge/get filled up.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the concept that in order to care for others, you must first care for yourself. I heard a great example from a talk about resiliency... Think about stress management like building muscle in a workout. How do you build the "stress resiliency" muscle? You work the muscle...which breaks it down...then you must rest the muscle in order for it to recover and grow stronger. If you don't provide an opportunity for rest...then the muscle (person) just breaks down...and down...and down. Not good!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the takeaway...?
I think you have all articulated very well, that in order to take care or serve others, you must care for yourself as well.