True leadership strengthens the followers. It is a process of teaching, setting an example, and empowering others.
If you seek to lead, your ability will ultimately be measured in the successes of those around you.
“This isn’t a job for individuals working alone; this is a job for a team,” says police chief Frank Blane, who directs a department of one hundred officers in central California. “I look at it as being a conductor of an orchestra, trying to make sure everyone is in tune.”
Chief Blane sets the direction of the department in everything he does. “You have to be very, very fair to the officers, and then they get the message that they have to be that way to every citizen they interact with.”
Blane adds, “The way chiefs get in trouble is showing favoritism. When the top goes bad, then the rest of the organization goes bad. But when the top sets the right tone, then everybody can follow that lead.”
Despite the power we associate with the idea of a leader, 93 percent of those who actually lead an organization view themselves at least partially as a servant of the people in their organization.
Boyer 1999