I inserted my card into a 24 hour banking machine. Those amazing machines never sleep, store thousands of dollars and are ready for any deposit, withdrawal or bill payment. Fantastic.
This particular machine was hungry. It took my card but, nothing happened. No words. No instructions. It ate my card.
I called the Call Centre and this friendly person, working the midnight shift five Provinces away, apologized for any inconvenience. My account was fine and the hungry ABM had in fact eaten my card.
Here is the best part: all the while I’m talking with the Call Centre, a lady is working through her transactions at the other machine. I don’t know her, I’ve never seen her before. She welcomed me to her city, hoped I would enjoy my stay and expressed her concern about my card. I confirmed I was speaking at a conference and was enjoying the hospitality of her community. Then, she asked if I needed some money until the bank opened in the morning. I confirmed I was fine.
Who was this lady? She had the characteristics of a leader. She stood alone, had values in terms of helping others. She made decisions easily and was willing to take a risk. She demonstrated the characteristics of a Servant Leader and I was impressed.
I’m not recommending you stand by hungry banking machines to give money away to the travelling public. However, I do want to emphasize the phenomenal benefits of demonstrating God’s love through Servant Leadership. I have no idea who this lady is but, I told her story at the convention during my session the next day and also to each of you. Her moment of kindness has the potential to influence thousands worldwide.
Leadership is … demonstrating God’s love to someone this week.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com