The Law of Addition
Leaders add value by serving others
Effective leaders go beyond not harming others -- they intentionally add value by serving. The attitude of servant leaders should be open, trusting, caring, offering help, and willing to be vulnerable. They believe in their people before their people believe in them, and they serve others before being served. Adding value requires having something of value to give, which means leaders must continuously grow themselves.
- Leaders add value by serving others, not by serving themselves
- Servant leaders believe in their people before their people believe in them
- You can't give what you do not possess -- invest in personal growth to have value to add
- Inexperienced leaders are quick to lead before knowing anything about their people; mature leaders listen, learn, then lead
- When a person moves into authority, they give up the right to abuse people
- Truly value othersDemonstrate genuine care in ways that followers can see and feel. Never walk past your people -- they are your work. Leadership is about people, not tasks.Pro tipIn American Sign Language, the sign for serving is holding hands out with palms up, moving back and forth. This is the posture of servant leadership: open, trusting, and offering.
- Make yourself more valuable to othersInvest in personal growth through study, practice, and intentional experience. The more you grow, the more you have to offer. Skills come through study, opportunities through hard work, wisdom through evaluating experiences.WarningYou cannot add value that you do not possess. If you stop growing, you stop being able to serve effectively.
- Know and relate to what others valueListen to people's stories, hopes, dreams, aspirations, and emotions. Learn what is valuable to them, then lead based on what you've learned.Pro tipMature leaders follow a three-step sequence: listen, learn, then lead. Never reverse the order.
As Fortune 500 CEO, Sinegal worked on a folding table, answered his own phone, visited hourly employees regularly, and kept his salary modest. Wall Street criticized him for being too generous with employees, but his approach built extraordinary loyalty and performance.
Maxwell illustrates this through Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco, who worked on a folding table, answered his own phone, visited hourly employees regularly, and was criticized by Wall Street for being too good to his employees. Sinegal kept his salary modest and his employment contract shorter than a page. His philosophy was that treating people well is not altruistic -- it is good business. Maxwell also shares how his team member Dan Reiland once walked past a group of employees without saying hello, prompting Maxwell to tell him that he just walked past his work, because leadership is about people.