Wayne Gretzky was an outstanding hockey player and earned the title, “The Great One.” In the sport of boxing, Mohamed Ali claimed to be the greatest. I must confess that his claim grated me. If we tell the truth, the desire to be great lies in the heart of all of us. That desire has led people to outstanding accomplishments. It has taken the good performance and elevated it to a great performance. It takes a man like Edison past 1000 failed attempts
to developing a working light bulb. The “great” football coach, Vince Lombardi observed that “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”
My dad used to say to me, “Son, never let it rest until your good is better and your better best.” That advice is applicable to any person in any walk of life. However, there is still a question in my mind: “By what standard do we measure greatness?” We all have differing motor skills, intellectual skills, social skills, and leadership skills. There are multitudes of hard working, disciplined hockey players but few reach Gretzky’s level.
I want to deposit another thought for you to explore. “Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.” Think this through with me. Here are a few suggestions for the normal standard of greatness.
Greatness can be measured by your position — how many people are under you. The more people you have under your “control”, the greater you are. A friend of mine was given a significant promotion. Shortly after being placed in his new responsibility, he was riding in the elevator with the CEO of the company. His friendly greeting directed toward the CEO was met with cold silence. When he and his fellow co-workers got off the elevator at their floor, he was informed that you do not speak to the “boss” unless he first addresses you.
The CEO was head of a sizable company but was he great?
Greatness can be measured by your prosperity — how much wealth you possess. There is an old saying that used to be popular: “Wealth isn’t everything, but it is a long way ahead of whatever comes in second.” Is a person great because they have control of billions of dollars and throw the crumbs of their wealth to the poor and needy? Is Bill Gates great? What he gives hardly makes a dent in his lifestyle. Wealth will not glue a marriage together, build a family legacy or loyalty in a company. I have asked hundreds of wives, in the presence of their husbands, “What would you rather have, a man who provides the luxuries of life or one who feels your pain, invests in the desires of your heart, and opens his heart to you?” The answer is inevitably, “That’s a no brainer. Give me a man committed to the latter.”
Greatness can be measured by your productivity — how valuable you are to the company, organization, or social club. This is often a subjective chain that fastens us to the treadmill. It creates a cloud of “I can never do it good enough.”
The usual ladder of greatness fosters negative competition, debilitating comparisons, and cancerous covetousness. These elements weaken a team and reduce its effectiveness.
Explore with me the possibility of being a servant.
A true servant is committed to making others successful. He will concentrate on developing the skills and abilities that will contribute to the success of the one he is serving. In doing that he learns to see his work from the perspective of the authority. Most workers evaluate company decisions on how it affects them rather than the benefit that will be brought to the whole. This reversal of thinking helps develop the capacity for greater responsibility.
On the other side of the equation, the boss who has the heart of a servant is looking for how he can develop each person on his team. What are their life goals? What are their life interests? What pressures are they facing at home? The servant leader is interested in the person, not just their productivity.
A true servant wants to invest his skills to bring the greatest good to those he is serving. A man’s son was playing with his friends in a field. He fell and cut his wrist severely. He was rushed to the hospital and was told they would likely have to amputate the hand. The attending doctor said, “There is a neurosurgeon about 100 miles from here. He is your only hope.” They raced to the hospital and were told the surgeon had just gone home. He had just finished 12 hours of surgery. The son’s father knew the surgeon and phoned him. He returned to the hospital, brought together his team, and started to work on the boy. Over 12 hours later he emerged from the operating theater and said, “I think we have saved your son’s hand.” The father started to express his deep gratitude but was interrupted by the surgeon who was kneeling in front of the father. The surgeon looked up and said, “You don’t understand. I am here to thank you for giving me the privilege of using my skills to enrich your son’s life.”
Now that is a true servant — one who views his work as an opportunity to enrich the lives of others. When I cross the finish line, I am praying that that is the kind of servant heart I will have. Keep serving, and I’ll see you at the top.
Duane Harder
