SERVANT-LEADERSHIP: STEPPING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
By Theresa Lawson, R.N., with Cathy Fairbairn of www.HopeInACan.com
The term Servant-Leader was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990), who founded the Center for Applied Ethics, which eventually became the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. He authored the book Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. According to Greenleaf, a Servant-leader is one who makes sure that the other people’s highest priority needs are being served. To function as a Servant-Leader you may have to step out of your comfort zone. What does that mean, exactly?
Putting others’ needs first may be a bit uncomfortable at times. We may be tempted in various ways to remain in our comfort zones, to sidestep any inconveniences, to avoid any suffering. But this is how we grow to be Christ-like.
I’ve discovered in my home-based business that some of the temptations to stay in my “comfort zone” center around avoiding the risks of reaching out to family members and close friends. I dislike rejection. I have experienced fear--fear that if I share my company’s business opportunity and products with family and friends, I may experience the discomfort of rejection. But that’s all it is: discomfort. After you get a firm no, you can move on to the next person.
I have had to step out and learn to do cold calling. When people don’t answer their phones after several attempts to contact them, the temptation to quit trying was strong, especially at first. Many times the thought crossed my mind, “Oh, they probably think I’m bothering them, or they don’t want my services, or they are avoiding answering the phone because they don’t want to talk with me.” I soon realized that these are all just temptations. I have learned that no answer may simply mean they are busy. Their answer may be a “yes,” but I just don’t know it yet. When I do connect with them, these busy people are often grateful that I haven’t given up on them. I have learned to keep asking until I get a firm “no,” to not give up until they tell you “no.”
I have had to persevere through difficult situations and deal with difficult people. I’ve learned that hurting people tend to hurt others. Dealing with difficult people isn’t easy but if I can be persistent, through God’s grace, to come alongside of them and help them to arrive in a healthy place. I can help them build a more financially secure place, and give them the hope that things can be better. If I allow Him, God can use me to perform a transformation in that person’s life, and the lives of others they care about.
Recently, I had one customer who became a business partner of mine, a young mother of six, who stated that the best results of using our company’s products was the peace that it brought to her household. Her children, who experienced Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), were calmer and no longer grumpy because they were feeling better physically. She was feeling better, too, and the resulting peace in her household was a real joy. If you can share with people a vision of better family relationships and peace in their homes, you tend to no longer be intimidated by initial negativity. When I take the time to help people feel better physically and mentally, their spiritual life can improve, too.
Therefore, a big part of getting out of your comfort zone entails a change in thinking. You can’t judge people. You work with them where they are. You can’t know why people act the way that they do. You need to change your thinking: you need to think the best of that person instead of fearing the worst.
Getting out of your comfort zone is important, because if you stay in your comfort zone, you limit your ability to be to God’s hands and feet; you won’t be available to Him. He wants people to be radical. We need to swim upstream, go against the tide. This discomfort is an opportunity to grow in virtue, in charity. As a Servant-Leader you can help foster a culture of life. You do that by serving others as a representative of Christ, so His love can flow through you to others.
So how do you begin? With prayer! Ask for the grace that others may see Christ shining forth and that “I” may disappear. Make it about others. Pray for the grace to be relaxed and truthful, to help your customers develop a sense of trust. Frequent the sacraments. They are the Powerhouse for your work and home life. When you have a servant’s heart, you want to help others, you need to reach out. When you talk to people you have to talk to them about their lifestyle and interweave it with nutrition. I laid it all down to the Lord: “If you want me to do this, Lord, show me how to do this business.” It’s all about changing your lifestyle: adequate exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient sleep. Without prayer I would have been tempted to give up.
To be a Servant-Leader in our company you must first be a good follower. It is important to develop humility, admitting you don’t have all the answers. To be a good follower you have to be teachable, with a mind to teaching others how to become servants, too. Our culture bombards us with so much information that often the truth is obscured. Be open to hearing the truth, especially new or unfamiliar information. Test everything. Ask for discernment. Be open to alternative ways of looking at things. God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps God is prompting you to step out of your comfort zone!
Moreover, embrace the training so you can learn about the company and the products you’re going to help people with; you’re going to be helping to train others eventually. Stay closely connected with your team/support. You are in business for yourself but not by yourself. If you think you can do it on your own, you will likely fail. Really listen to the needs of those you are trying to help. Try to focus on others’ needs and read between the lines.
Become committed to stepping out of your comfort zone. Meet people where they are. Bind their wounds. Love them first. Meet them where they are and address their physical needs as a human being first, and then lead them down the path of finding Christ and his Church.
Putting others’ needs first may be a bit uncomfortable at times. We may be tempted in various ways to remain in our comfort zones, to sidestep any inconveniences, to avoid any suffering. But this is how we grow to be Christ-like.
I’ve discovered in my home-based business that some of the temptations to stay in my “comfort zone” center around avoiding the risks of reaching out to family members and close friends. I dislike rejection. I have experienced fear--fear that if I share my company’s business opportunity and products with family and friends, I may experience the discomfort of rejection. But that’s all it is: discomfort. After you get a firm no, you can move on to the next person.
I have had to step out and learn to do cold calling. When people don’t answer their phones after several attempts to contact them, the temptation to quit trying was strong, especially at first. Many times the thought crossed my mind, “Oh, they probably think I’m bothering them, or they don’t want my services, or they are avoiding answering the phone because they don’t want to talk with me.” I soon realized that these are all just temptations. I have learned that no answer may simply mean they are busy. Their answer may be a “yes,” but I just don’t know it yet. When I do connect with them, these busy people are often grateful that I haven’t given up on them. I have learned to keep asking until I get a firm “no,” to not give up until they tell you “no.”
I have had to persevere through difficult situations and deal with difficult people. I’ve learned that hurting people tend to hurt others. Dealing with difficult people isn’t easy but if I can be persistent, through God’s grace, to come alongside of them and help them to arrive in a healthy place. I can help them build a more financially secure place, and give them the hope that things can be better. If I allow Him, God can use me to perform a transformation in that person’s life, and the lives of others they care about.
Recently, I had one customer who became a business partner of mine, a young mother of six, who stated that the best results of using our company’s products was the peace that it brought to her household. Her children, who experienced Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), were calmer and no longer grumpy because they were feeling better physically. She was feeling better, too, and the resulting peace in her household was a real joy. If you can share with people a vision of better family relationships and peace in their homes, you tend to no longer be intimidated by initial negativity. When I take the time to help people feel better physically and mentally, their spiritual life can improve, too.
Therefore, a big part of getting out of your comfort zone entails a change in thinking. You can’t judge people. You work with them where they are. You can’t know why people act the way that they do. You need to change your thinking: you need to think the best of that person instead of fearing the worst.
Getting out of your comfort zone is important, because if you stay in your comfort zone, you limit your ability to be to God’s hands and feet; you won’t be available to Him. He wants people to be radical. We need to swim upstream, go against the tide. This discomfort is an opportunity to grow in virtue, in charity. As a Servant-Leader you can help foster a culture of life. You do that by serving others as a representative of Christ, so His love can flow through you to others.
So how do you begin? With prayer! Ask for the grace that others may see Christ shining forth and that “I” may disappear. Make it about others. Pray for the grace to be relaxed and truthful, to help your customers develop a sense of trust. Frequent the sacraments. They are the Powerhouse for your work and home life. When you have a servant’s heart, you want to help others, you need to reach out. When you talk to people you have to talk to them about their lifestyle and interweave it with nutrition. I laid it all down to the Lord: “If you want me to do this, Lord, show me how to do this business.” It’s all about changing your lifestyle: adequate exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient sleep. Without prayer I would have been tempted to give up.
To be a Servant-Leader in our company you must first be a good follower. It is important to develop humility, admitting you don’t have all the answers. To be a good follower you have to be teachable, with a mind to teaching others how to become servants, too. Our culture bombards us with so much information that often the truth is obscured. Be open to hearing the truth, especially new or unfamiliar information. Test everything. Ask for discernment. Be open to alternative ways of looking at things. God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps God is prompting you to step out of your comfort zone!
Moreover, embrace the training so you can learn about the company and the products you’re going to help people with; you’re going to be helping to train others eventually. Stay closely connected with your team/support. You are in business for yourself but not by yourself. If you think you can do it on your own, you will likely fail. Really listen to the needs of those you are trying to help. Try to focus on others’ needs and read between the lines.
Become committed to stepping out of your comfort zone. Meet people where they are. Bind their wounds. Love them first. Meet them where they are and address their physical needs as a human being first, and then lead them down the path of finding Christ and his Church.