One of our values at Nuru is servant leadership. One of the
core values of my tribe and my faith is also servant leadership. Growing up in
Parkersburg WV, I saw both of my parents model servant leadership for me and my
siblings and for anyone who was paying attention. I've appreciated it and also tried to live it out for much of my adult life. And, as our time in California was wrapping up during the
first week of 2015 (among many other times), I saw it modeled in my coworker and friend Troy Hickerson (in the photo above).
Troy is an incredible human being. He manages all of the IT needs of Nuru, and
is also an executive and cofounder in two other companies working to address
malnutrition among children in the developing world—Mana Nutrition and Calorie Cloud. You should check them both
out, and consider ways you and/or your company/family can be involved with them!
But that’s not the point of this post. Troy and I were
hoping to connect during the week of the summit to go for a run, but his busy
schedule kept this from being a possibility—until the day we were leaving. He
invited me and Jamie to come to his house in Newport Beach for an early morning
jog and catch up time. He was really glad to see us show up, and admitted when
we were running a few minutes behind, that he half-expected us to text him with
a ‘Sorry bro, we aren’t going to make it.” Jamie and I were not about to let
that happen. Troy had to leave for a meeting in Los Angeles mid-morning, so we
only had a narrow window. So, we ran for about 30-40 minutes and then, came
back to his house for a quick shower before heading inland to see my brother
one more time and board a plane back east.
Amid the entire morning, Troy demonstrated servant
leadership, but then, he took an additional step and began brewing coffee and
preparing bacon, eggs, and pancakes for breakfast for us. He welcomed us into
his home and showed us hospitality. He needed to head to Los Angeles for a
meeting, but he took his time, and prepared and enjoyed a meal with us.
Every time I see servant leadership in action, I am
inspired. Servant leadership is completely counter-cultural to the way much of
our world seems to work—it’s like an act of resistance against our own
selfishness every time we choose to serve.
Who are some examples of servant leadership in your life?
How do you take steps to become a servant leader? May we all learn to be better
leaders as we learn to serve and care for the needs of others instead of
seeking to serve ourselves!
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