Have you ever been around someone that acts like they are entitled? The dictionary definition of the word entitled is, believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. The example used in a sentence shone in the dictionary is “his pompous entitled attitude is etc. etc.”

In the business world, I believe one of the greatest leadership qualities one can acquire is the adoption of a servant’s heart. Meaning, I am here to serve our people, our clients and our customers and I don’t need recognition for it.

Jesus Christ, the night before he went on trial and was crucified, wanted to demonstrate (not just talk about it) to his disciples what a servant’s heart looks like. He got on his knees and told his disciples to all sit down and he then proceeded to wash their feet which in that time era, was synonymous with what servants did. He was God incarnate but chose to lower himself to show love and to show how to love.

Years ago, when I was in the restaurant business, we were having some new coffee equipment installed by Standard Coffee. I got to talking with the equipment installer and about life and work. The equipment installer had the same last name as the chairman of Standard Coffee so I asked him about it. He told me he was his son. I asked him why he was installing equipment instead of other executive roles and what he said left an impression on me to this day. He said, “If I want people within the company to respect me, I need them to know I was willing to start at the bottom.” What a leadership attitude.

Whatever the job role is, the person knows in their heart when they go home at night if they did their best. There is something about going home, knowing you did your best, that effects every area of your personal life. Why? Because every day you do your best, it makes you a better person and every day your self-esteem goes stronger and stronger until you look up one day and realize that you have become the person you most wanted to be. KT