leadership that is "out of this world"

Has there ever been anything more highly studied and valued than leadership? There are many experts, so to speak, but not that many areas everyone agrees is true about leadership. Most of the problem with coming to ONE TRUTH about leadership is that we do not really agree on what is a measure of effective leadership. We do not agree on whether the emergence of someone as a leader or the performance of the team is the best way to determine whether someone is an good leader or not. We do seem to agree that effectiveness of a leader is related to how motivated and committed the followers are to the leader's vision. 

Here is a story that one expert used to communicate a truth about leadership. Read this and then I will give you a test on it.

Many years ago there was this leader who had a dedicated group of followers. After a special dinner one night, the leader did a most extraordinary thing. He took a towel and began to wash the feet of his followers. When he came to serve his most trusted follower, the leader got pushback from this follower. Somewhat amazed and trying to show his loyalty, the follower responded to the leader, “you can never wash my feet.” The leader smiled and said, “if I cannot wash your feet, then you cannot be my follower.” The follower then said back to the leader, “in that case, wash my whole body.” After the leader washed everyone’s feet, he said to them, “you all now have experienced what I have done for you, you now ought to go out and do so for others.”

 Some have called this a story about servant leadership, but the story has a very interesting point to make about leadership that is sometime missed in lieu of focusing on other points. See what you think. 

Please select from the following statements which you believe to be the main point of this story.

A. Leaders need to create a sense of duty in their followers
B. A good leader always leads by example
C. The followers who are most committed to the mission must first receive the heart of their leader

The correct answer is C. The differences in the answers may be very subtle, but it is profound. Of course it is good practice for leaders to show examples to others on how to do their jobs. A sense of duty can also motivate followers.

But real power occurs when the response is not from duty, but from a compelling will of the follower to act on behalf of the mission. The follower’s desire is the strongest when he or she has actually taken on the heart of the leader by first receiving the leader’s heart. 

Being a follower always involves a sense of obligation to the leader. But there is more than one way to be obligated. The story teller believes that your worldview of obligation must recognize the difference. In the leader-follower relationship a follower can feel obligated to the leader because he or she desires to meet the expectation of the leader. Or the follower can feel obligated to the leader because the follower feels exactly about the mission as the leader does. A compelling will to do something is freeing and purposeful and provides a more abundant and virtuous life than a desire that comes from viewing obligation as a requirement or a duty. One type of obligation responds to your internal voice “I should do this” and the other responds to your internal voice that says “I want to do this.” Research has shown that when obligation is an act of duty, people feel the burden of their commitment. But, there is no stress or burnout when followers make the heart of the leader their own by first receiving the leader’s unmerited service to them.

The question is whether a human can be a leader like this from their own qualities? Can someone be trained to lead like this? OR must we accept that a leader who can really serve must be one who has received the heart of the one true leader, who happens to have a leadership quality that is "out of this world".

Certainly worth pondering ......