weLEAD
Online Magazine
Copyright 2003 ã weLEAD, Inc.
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”.
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
BACK TO weLEAD HOME PAGE
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.