The Ultimate Test of a True Leader

Although my first opportunities to lead people were at a bank in my twenties, it wasn’t until I served in church callings or positions of authority at a building that housed the homeless on cold winter nights that I really had to rethink how I would inspire action. The people that came to serve alongside me could quit at any time, or even worse, they would come but never really “show up.”

It was at this point that I wanted to become a student of leadership. More than ever, I knew I had to be something more than what I currently was to be of the greatest service to my community and the world at large. I was young, so I needed to have the look of experience or wisdom to lean on. I didn’t have a fancy education to leverage or create trust with. I had no significant accomplishments to speak of, so essentially I was a young nobody kid in my twenties wondering why someone would listen to me.

After another frustrating day of low-energy volunteers coming late (while others never came at all), my discouragement was at an all-time low. I decided to approach a man twice my age and ten times my experience.

I intended to ask why he was late and why he didn’t do what he was assigned, but just as I was about to call him out, something else happened. It was a question that came from nowhere. As if another part of me emerged, I asked, “why do you volunteer your time here?”. He was caught off guard. It was just the two of us, and before he could answer, I expanded my question, saying, “I mean, I know you’re busy. I know you could be home right now with your family, watching TV, watching the game, I mean you could be doing so many other things so why do you volunteer for this?”.

The 50-year-old Hispanic man with the full beard before me seemed to melt a little before saying, “David, I’ve been one of these people. A place like this saved me. I do this because I’ve been blessed, and I can’t stay home knowing I can help people here.”

For the next 20 minutes, we just talked. I asked what he wanted to get out of the experience and how he thought he could best help the people coming in off the streets for a warm place to stay. His answers connected us and showed me the way to help him help others. This opened my eyes and ears to search for what people want from their time and experiences. It created a new way for me to lead.

Do you know why people do what they do? Do you know what drives them, their goals, or what success means to them? Knowing this puts you in a position of opportunity to lead as a true leader.

Zig Ziglar spoke of the idea that in order for you to get what you want, you need to help enough people get what they want. Still, it’s even more than that because this isn’t just some business formula. Rather, it’s a way of life, and I believe Zig knew that too.

I’d like to say this transformed my leadership overnight. Still, it was just the first of many steps in honing and testing my leadership over the years as I discovered many more ways to activate people. The greatest lessons I learned in leadership came from leading people who were essentially just volunteers.

I took those lessons into my corporate job at the time and later into the businesses I started and still run to this day. I’m a lifelong student practicing the art of inspiring action in every individual through what I call true leadership.

Mother Theresa leads by example with acts of service and a life dedicated to those most afflicted with pain and poverty. Martin Luther King Jr. had people risking their jobs, safety, and even their lives to follow him. He created a movement with his inspirational words, genius for seeing the big picture, and heart-centered actions. These are the leaders I admire most. These are the servant leaders that the world needs most now.