Responsiveness
And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” – 1 Kings 12:7
Yesterday we meditated on service as the first factor in the making of a servant leader. The second fundamental of servant leadership which will form the basis of our meditation today is responsiveness.
The elders advised Rehoboam that in addition to serving the people, he also needed to answer them. Responsiveness is one of the attributes that distinguish a quality leader from also-rans, and there are many in positions of leadership who do not know what that word means.
A leader must be willing to answer his people when they call. He is duty bound to oblige them when they demand his attention as that is part of the social contract he agreed to when he accepted to lead them. A good leader will never turn deaf ears to the request, agitation and demand of her people no matter how unreasonable they may sound.
Responsiveness makes a great leader. Sadly, the world is full of persons in leadership positions who only feign care for the people when canvassing their votes for electoral offices and who thereafter ignore the people after they ascend to power and start to treat them with disdain. It is impostors, not leaders, who behave this way. A genuine leader always has the interest of the people she is leading at heart and, apart from working her socks off to improve their welfare, will always make herself available for them to call to book and engage in atmospheres devoid of staging and maneuvering.
If you desire to be a leader who commands the loyalty and commitment of his lieutenants and followers, then you need to add responsiveness to your personal attributes. You must be responsive to their needs, demands, and feedback. You cannot afford to ignore them or disregard their agitation as irrational and unrealistic. if they are, then you must be able to help them to see why it so in a free and open atmosphere where you confab with them.
Are you ready to take up the challenge to be more responsive to the people you lead? It will not always be easy as your availability and vulnerability may be taken for granted, but that should not stop you from being them-oriented rather than me-oriented, since you are there to serve them.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
To be continued…
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