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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,
Comments
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About
the author:
Greg has an extensive thirty-five years experience in public
speaking and has spoken to hundreds of audiences worldwide. Greg has a Master
of Arts degree in Leadership from
Bellevue University, where he also has served as an adjunct professor teaching
courses in business management and leadership since 2002. His first book, 52 Leadership Tips
(That Will Change How You Lead Others) was published
in 2006 by WingSpan Press. His second book, Making
Life's Puzzle Pieces Fit was published in March 2009. Both are available at
amazon.com. Greg is also the president of Leadership
Excellence, Ltd and a Managing Partner of the Leadership Management
Institute. Leadership
Excellence, Ltd. effectively builds
individuals and organizations to reach their highest potential through enhanced
productivity and personal development using a number of proven programs. He is also the president and founder
of weLEAD Incorporated.
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.