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John C.

Maxwell, renowned author on Servant Leadership, said that "Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." (Maxwell, 2008), meaning that a leader needs to find a balance between his responsibilities. A Servant-Leader must, like any successful parent, know that true motivation come with knowing how to inspire and in order to do that they must know when to be a friend and when to be a boss. Prolific author on leading change through servant leadership Dr. Kent M. Keith, CEO at the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, claims that Servant-leaders are sustained in their work by the personal meaning that comes from serving others. That personal meaning is an intrinsic motivator, a source of mental health, and a key to being deeply happy. These are tremendous advantages not available to other kinds of leaders. (Keith, 2009). I feel that one of the most important attributes of a servant-leader leading change is understanding that giving meaning to someones work is a natural motivator. People usually feel more motivated when they are personally involved and feel that their work contributes to the whole of the business. These attributes dont come instantly though, they are developed overtime and with a lot of patience. There are so many potentially great leaders that could use some advice on how to be a servant-leader and not a dictator. Jesus Christ is the true example of servant-leadership. In the Book of Mormon, Ether chapter 2, the brother of Jared prayed for guidance on how to build a ship that would allow his family to cross the sea safely. Like any great leader the Lord isnt a micromanager, the brother of Jared was given directions and then the Lord trusted him to do the work and expected that if he had questions that he would pray and ask for guidance. Once the ships were complete being sealed to avoid being lost in great waves the brother of Jared asks how they shall have light throughout the journey and the Lord replied, What will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? (Smith, 1921) The lord wanted him to figure it out and being that the glory of God is intelligence (Smith, 1921) its a fitting reply. A great motivator wants people to use their brains to make decision and grow from their experience; because a great leader motivates people to tackle tough experiences so that they can grow, not for the leaders aggrandizement. John Quincy Adams, sixth president of the United States, sums it up nicely, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader" and I would only like to add, you are a [great] leader (Artis, 2008)

Works Cited
Artis, S. (2008). Moving from ORDINARY to EXTRAORDINARY, Strategies for Preparing for College and Scholarships. Boston: iUniverse. Keith, K. M. (2009, May 1). Branches Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from http://www.greenleaf.org: http://www.greenleaf.org/whatissl/BranchesMagazine.pdf Maxwell, J. C. (2008). Dynamic Leadership - 60 Minutes with John C. Maxwell: Summary of 360 Degree Leader; Talent Is Never Enough; Winning with People. Philadelphia, PA: Executive Book Summaries. Smith, J. (1921). The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, UT: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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