Be a Servant

From the book The Management Methods of Jesus, by Bob Briner:


'...The reality is that the surest way to success for a business executive is to put his employees and his customers first - in effect, to become a servant to them, meeting their needs. The annals of business are full of success stories in which the model of "others first" was a surefire formula for success. 


The mystery is that so few "get it." So few are willing to learn from either Jesus or from contemporary organizational examples.


Now it is important to point out that being a servant to your employees and your customers does not mean "giving away the store" or going soft-headed and namby-pamby. Not at all. That's no way to serve your employees or your customers. To meet your employees' and customers' needs, your company must be successful. Only successful companies survive to serve.


This kind of servanthood does require an attitude that asks, "How can I best take care of the needs of my employees and customers in the context of a growing, thriving business?" It certainly does not mean you sell your products below cost or put all potential profits into salaries and bonuses. That would be ridiculous, self-defeating, and ultimately threatening to your organization.


In business, the opposite of the servanthood model is the one that, if articulated, would be, "Let's pay these guys as little as possible and charge our customers as much as possible for the products we make as cheaply as possible so we can make as much as possible." This is not a pathway to success. 


To succeed, use the Jesus model. Take good care of your employees and your customers. When Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, "He who is greatest among you shall be your servant," He made a statement by which any business can live and thrive.'