Serving, Leading

I've been hanging with some of the most amazing people tonight after a big day on a charity bike ride. The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is a group my husband I have volunteered with for many years, and we had a great ride today from Winter Park to Vail. As I was leaving dinner tonight, asked a few people what topics I should think about for my last article of this series. Servant Leadership was the first and most emphatic suggestion.

At first I brushed it aside. If I'm completely honest, it's a term I've heard many times in my career, and since I'm pretty good at picking out context clues, I had a vague understanding of what it meant. It seemed obvious to me - a leader is someone who should help and serve others from their position of power. Ummmm….. Duh. That's the way it's supposed to work…. the leader exists to serve the people - right?  Pollyanna ain't got nothing on me when it comes to seeing the world as it ought to be.

But I tend to surround myself with other Pollyannas - queue today's vignette….

Today I rode 87 miles from Winter Park to Vail. I'm achy and sore - my hands, shoulders, neck and back are worked. And - it was a glorious day. All day long I knew I had this last 10 of 10 article to write by the end of today, so obviously I was thinking about leadership.

I believe leadership is a conscious choosing of WHO you want to be, HOW you want to show up, and WHAT you are committed to doing in service of the goal. (Sorry for the shouty capitals; sometimes I need my categories to be super obvious).

Today I chose to be all in on two things. 1 - Support the group as much as I could. 2 - Have fun and be grateful.

As to goal #2…. I crushed it. It was spectacular day of Colorado riding. The first section was the most challenging mentally (as is often the case) and physically. It was brrrr-freezey when we woke up this morning, and I'm certain this is the first time I've ever started a ride with ice (yes - you read that right - ICE) on my handlebars. I kept sing-songing to myself: You're gonna be cold, and you're gonna be okay."  From experience, I know that eventually the weather and I will both warm up enough to put this temporary discomfort (okay - agony) in the rear view mirror. And sure enough - I got to experience Colorado today from my bike with crystal blue skies, vibrant green meadows, and distant steely sharp jagged mountains. I rode most of the day with a vibrant and dedicated long-time volunteer. Our conversations ran the gamut - careers, athletics, ancestry, family. If you're ever riding next to someone for eight hours, I wish you a great conversationalist. We had that in each other.

As to goal #1 (support the group as much as I could) - it was twisty.  I've always loved to help. But I kind of found my avatar when internalized Thomas the Train Engine back in the day when my kids were little: I live to be "Really Useful." So I had visions of cheering riders on, helping the support crew fill water bottles, driving trucks to various rest stops, or hopping  on my bike to keep a lone rider company for a long stretch. Before I arrived on the scene,  I pictured myself the  eager player who earnestly calls, "Put me in, Coach!" 

Then reality set in. It will come as little surprise to anyone who knows CAF - they didn't really need my help. Being responsible for able-bodied and challenged athletes carries a lot of sacred responsibility - and this crew was ready for anything. No one needed me to fill a water bottle, and all the trucks already had drivers.

So without an actual "job" to do, where was I to go with my intention to help? The best I could do was to ride, take care of myself to the best of my ability, and make sure I was present enough to help or encourage anyone who was having a rough moment. I settled into that - and managed to accept a little help along the way too.

As I wrestled with this feeling of being rendered "useless" by an amazing team of volunteer leaders, I began to focus on my gratitude for the tireless leaders of the organization. The race directors, the event managers, the mechanics, the support team. Some paid, others not, but all leaders who made it their mission to serve others. To develop and support individuals, so the community can thrive.

This is the epitome of servant leadership. To serve the mission, leaders focus on the individual achievement of each member. This focus on growth, development and success in the individual takes priority over the needs of the leader or the organization. The belief is that inspiring greatness in the individual (a worthy effort in its own right) will have a multiplier effect on the organization.

I watched this to be true countless times today. While the team supported the individual riders, the sense of common purpose intensified. The more people felt  supported, championed and seen, the more I heard conversations about how to invite others to participate, donate and spread the news about all the good the organization does.

It's more that good PR - it's leadership at it's most powerful. You can call it servant leadership, or you can call it understanding that the world is comprised of billions of individuals with hopes, aspirations and potential. Magnifying those and inspiring others to do great things has to be the pinnacle of experience of leadership.

Where have you seen examples of leaders who devote themselves to developing and inspiring others? When is the last time you focused on what you could do to serve or support those working for you? How have those investments contributed to the team's goals?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!