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Are You Present but Not Voting?

-One Leader's Perspective

By Greg L. Thomas

Have you ever heard about a remarkable man named Jeremy Bentham? Jeremy was an English philosopher, economist, and jurist, who founded the doctrine of utilitarianism. This philosophy believes all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. But to put it mildly, Jeremy was a little bit odd! Bentham died in London on June 6, 1832 at the ripe old age of 84. In accordance with his wishes, his body was dissected in the presence of his friends. Jeremy’s skeleton is now kept in a glass case at University College, London, where he was one of its founders. His skeletal remains are fully clothed and provided with a wax head since the original was mummified.

According to another similar story, Jeremy bequeathed a large monetary gift to an English hospital. However, as a condition of this gift he stipulated that his remains are to be brought to the hospital boardroom and placed at the head of the table. For more than 100 years, the secretary of the board has added to the board minutes a single line.

It states, “Jeremy Bentham present but not voting”.

Many people go through their entire lives much like this strange story of Jeremy Bentham. They may be present, but they choose not to participate in the world around them. I am not talking about voting in a political sense, but rather in how much we actively participate in the world around us! To be physically present, and yet make no difference in our communities, families, and workplace is a greatly missed leadership opportunity. One of the reasons leadership is so important and essential in any healthy society is because it seeks to create constructive change, visible improvement and progress. Though many splendid past leaders are not found in history books, their presence was not only felt, but it made a valuable difference in the society around them! Years ago I attended a small private college in Pasadena, California where I earned my undergraduate degree. The founder of the institution was an energetic and elderly man who occasionally spoke at the student forums. I can still hear him remind the students that there are basically two approaches to life. He referred to these approaches as the “give way of life” and the “get way of life”.

The “get way of life” or takers unfortunately equal a large percentage of people on earth. They range from folks with admittedly few opportunities in the world to those who are the true parasites. The extreme takers are those who live only for the now! They take for themselves what they want and never truly give anything back to others. When they present the appearance of giving or serving others it is usually for selfish reasons or a hidden motive. They believe Copernicus was wrong, the earth doesn’t revolve around the sun, it revolves around them. Those who study behavioral science have a term for these kinds of takers who desire positions of leadership. The term is called personalized power orientation. Those with a personalized power orientation gain power to aggrandize themselves and satisfy their strong need for esteem and status. They tend to exercise power impulsively and have little inhibition and self-control. They seek to dominate others by keeping them weak and dependent. These extreme takers view any type of genuine service toward others as a burden. Sadly, many of these parasites do rise to positions of power in government, business, civic and religious organizations. The media often incorrectly refers to these extreme takers as “leaders”.

The “give way of life” is the philosophy of many people who hail from all walks of life. These are the folks who try to make the world a better place. They view themselves as guests on this planet. Their goal is to invest more into the world than they extract from life. These are the people who make the time and effort to serve their families, fellow employees, schools, communities or churches. They see their efforts as a way to make a personal contribution to improving the world. These are the people, who by example, sow the seeds of leadership in others, including the next generation. Those who study behavioral science also have a term for those who desire to lead by service. The term is called socialized power orientation. Leaders with a socialized power orientation desire power for the benefit of others. Being human, they are by no means perfect but they are far less egoistical, defensive and materialistic than the takers. Their strong desire for power is to build up an organization or others to be successful. They tend to use more of a participative “coaching style” of behavior and freely take advice from others. Those at the "top" of what is termed socialized power orientation go to the next highest level! They seek first to serve others, and this experience inspires them to lead. We call this servant leadership.

Those who subscribe to the “give way of life” believe the good things they have been given are to be shared. Service to others or to institutions is not a burden, but an opportunity to give something back.

About 7 years before the start of the American Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant resigned from the army in 1854. Since he was far from his Ohio home and with little money, he called upon an old friend at West Point. His friend was Simon Bolivar Buckner. Buckner gave some money to Grant to get him on his feet financially and was himself destined to become a brigadier general in the Confederate army. Eight years later during the Civil war, Ulysses Grant and the Union army came to capture Fort Donelson where the surrendering general was none other than Simon Buckner! The other Confederate officers had fled, but not the courageous Buckner. On February 16, 1862 with defeat imminent, Buckner asked for terms of surrender. Grant’s now-famous reply was terse, “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” When the actual surrender came here is what Buckner wrote about this unusual encounter with Grant.

“Grant never forgot an act of kindness. After my surrender, Grant followed me to my quarters, leaving behind his own officers celebrating the victory. There in the shadows, in the modest manner peculiar to Grant, he handed me his purse.”

Grant demonstrated the “give way of life” at a time when most would not have expected it. He never forgot a personal debt he owed, and didn’t forget a personal kindness that he had received. Even in a time of war, he was magnanimous toward Buckner and must have personally believed that treating others with dignity and respect transcended the bitterness and cruelty of war. Grant is also known to have been conciliatory toward Robert E. Lee and the Confederate solders who surrendered at the Appomattox Court House in 1865.

Do you consider yourself a giver or a taker? In what ways have you decided to invest more into serving others? Do you desire to make our struggling world a better place for having been here? Do you hope to leave a legacy of achievement in at least one small corner of our ever-shrinking globe? Are you not only present, but also contributing your skills and talents to encourage growth in others? These are the questions that help sow the seeds of servant leadership. If you consider yourself a “giver” and a servant leader, thank you and congratulations on your commitment to make a real impact in even a small and perhaps unnoticed way! However, if you have yet to make this life altering commitment, or if you feel you have begun but have a long way to go, I have some advice.

In many parts of the world, especially where I am from, we are on the verge of springtime. Nature has been dormant and patiently waiting for the opportunity to engender another cycle of new life. Somehow and somewhere there is a hidden trigger that tells the natural world in the Northern Hemisphere that it is once again time to come alive. The growth of flora will be slow at first, but it will gradually develop into a verdant and productive landscape. Now there is brown grass and dead vegetation from previous seasons, but soon a new cycle of change, along with fresh life will break forth. Could nature be telling us something? I believe it is, and the annual message it gives us is clear and meaningful.

Capture some “personal time” this spring and take an honest and revealing look at yourself. Review your personal mission statement. Talk to your close friends and family about your goals. Remind yourself that tomorrow is promised to no one and each day is a gift. Take a candid look at your life and how you spend your time. Just being present is not necessarily making a contribution! But serving others in even the smallest ways does make a valuable contribution and is at the core of real leadership. During this new season of life, take some time to focus on your own mental landscape and clean up the debris that may still there from past seasons. Let’s sow some seeds of creativity and fertilize some fresh ideas. Then let us cultivate them into producing real and lasting change. This is a powerful habit we should at least perform annually to prepare for greater growth and personal fulfillment. Every spring season is a fine time to do this since even nature itself gives us the clue!

As this annual renewal is accomplished, we can then make a promise to ourselves that we will not merely be “present” in our home, on the job, or in our community…but more personally involved. We can do this by dedicating more time with loved ones and friends, or volunteering for a local service project, or becoming a mentor for children who need some loving guidance, or visiting someone who is lonely and discouraged. There are hundreds of small but important ways where we can be more than physically present, we can also become active participants.

Time is precious and so are the contributions we can make toward others. Perhaps once again in a British hospital the secretary of the board of directors will soon write, “Jeremy Bentham present but not voting”. In contrast, let’s make sure we perform our annual self-examination and proudly proclaim,

“I am growing, I am present, and I am determined to really make a difference”.

Comments to: editor@leadingtoday.org

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About the author:

Greg has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience within the electrical manufacturing industry. Some of his positions have included being a National Sales Manager, National Marketing Manager and Regional Sales Manager. He also has an extensive 35 years experience in public speaking and has written articles for various publications. Greg has a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Bellevue University, where he has served as an adjunct professor. He is the founder of weLEAD Incorporated, a nonprofit organization chartered to promote personal and organizational leadership. Greg's personal site is located at http://www.greglthomas.info

References:

Bentham, Jeremy (2002). Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002

Grant, Ulysses (2002). Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002

Oakley, Ed & Krug, Doug, (1994). Enlightened Leadership – Getting to the Heart of Change. Publisher: Simon & Schuster.

Yukl, Gary (1998) Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.