What Makes A Leader The Greatest Amongst You
Mark 9:34 ...they [His disciples] had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
Mark 9:35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to Him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
In this Holy Day season when Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ, please let me give you an updated version of the Bible's New Living Translation, and permit me to paraphrase what He told His followers, "the greatest among you shall be the servant of you all."
Robert Greenleaf called this style of leadership as being a servant-oriented type of leader, while you and I might better understand Greenleaf if we look at his version as a service-driven style of leading!
But whichever way we choose to see it, and whatever words you use to call it, history's greatest, most impactful and inspirational leaders have been highly thought of, and greatly admired leaders because their efforts tended to serve a greater good for their communities, society or enterprise, and they earnestly served others on purpose, and they generously performed their missions to the best of their ability.
Hopefully Today's article will empower your abilities, and energize your desire to make positive yet long lasting impacts upon the careers, expertise, and lives of those people you encounter, or those persons who receive the fruits of your labor - may the legacy of your leadership services help others grow, prosper, and enjoy greatly enhanced experiences!
The Purposeful Leader: How Competence, Development, and Resilience Create Meaningful Impact
Why the Journey to Leadership Mastery Must Serve More Than Just Ourselves
Introduction: Why Purpose Elevates Executive Leadership
In today’s hyper-competitive and ever-evolving business landscape, executive leaders are expected to deliver more than just profits and plans—they’re called to shape cultures, empower people, guide enterprise strategy, and uplift communities. And yet, amid the KPIs, OKRs, and quarterly forecasts, a critical question often gets buried:
Why do we lead? What higher purpose does our leadership serve?
This isn’t just a philosophical musing—it’s a practical imperative. The most impactful leaders today aren’t those who simply accumulate influence. They are those who share the pearls of wisdom, power, and opportunity to elevate others, expand enterprise potential, and enrich their stakeholder communities.
As leadership educators, coaches, and executive professionals, we must remember that our greatest innovations don’t arise from complexity—they arise from clarity. From purpose. From answering that fundamental question: “Why?”
Redefining Mastery: Leadership Beyond the Self
True leadership mastery is not about becoming the most admired person in the room. It’s about ensuring everyone in the room is enriched by your presence. It’s about investing in the performance, development, and well-being of the people around you—and then multiplying that value across your enterprise and society.
When leaders anchor their growth in purpose, they don’t just become better professionals—they become multipliers of positive impact.
Here are three powerful, mission-orienting outcomes that define what purposeful executive leadership looks like:
1. Elevate the Performance and Potential of Others
High-impact leaders devote their competence not just to personal achievement, but to assisting, developing, and supporting others. They focus on building capability, not dependency; mentorship, not micromanagement.
✅ Try This:
Identify one emerging leader on your team this week and coach them on a challenge instead of solving it yourself.
Schedule regular “development conversations” that focus on strengths and growth—not just performance reviews.
📌 Reflect:
Are your leadership efforts helping others grow in confidence, clarity, and capacity?
2. Expand the Contribution and Potential of the Enterprise
Your organization is more than a business—it’s a platform for contribution. Purposeful leaders seek not only to grow their bottom line but to extend the reach and relevance of their company’s mission to benefit more people.
✅ Try This:
Host a leadership offsite to explore new ways your enterprise can add social or environmental value while sustaining performance.
Align your team’s quarterly goals with a broader purpose—how are you creating value for the world, not just for shareholders?
📌 Reflect:
How does your enterprise’s growth strategy serve not only markets but meaning?
3. Strengthen the Resilience of Stakeholder Communities
Organizations don’t operate in vacuums. The communities you serve—customers, employees, partners, and neighborhoods—are part of your ecosystem. Resilient leaders invest in that ecosystem, creating shared value, trust, and long-term stability.
✅ Try This:
Launch or support a community initiative that aligns with your company’s core capabilities.
Set up feedback loops with external stakeholders to better understand what support they need in times of change or challenge.
📌 Reflect:
Does your leadership help others become stronger, more adaptable, and future-ready?
Ten Strategic Lessons: Leadership Power with Purpose
Throughout and in some of our earlier posts of this newsletter series, we lightly explored ten foundational practices for improving executive leadership:
Embracing continuous learning
Cultivating emotional intelligence
Developing strategic thinking
Building resilience
Creating mentorship and coaching networks
Fostering adaptability
Enhancing communication
Prioritizing wellness and balance
Leveraging feedback
Strengthening collaboration
As you implement these practices, ask yourself not only “How can I improve myself?” but also:
“Who will benefit from my improvement—and how?”
This shift in perspective transforms leadership from a personal pursuit into a community-serving endeavor. And it brings fulfillment that no title or quarterly bonus can offer.
Leadership as the Sharing of Pearls
They say, “The world is your oyster.” But here’s a better metaphor for leaders:
Leadership is the art of sharing pearls—your experiences, your insights, your influence—not hoarding them for status or acclaim.
Each interaction is a chance to offer someone a pearl of support, a moment of clarity, or an opportunity for growth.
Leadership at its best is generative. It produces more leaders, more possibilities, more shared success.
So, What Truly Improves Executive Leadership Competence?
It’s not just better frameworks or more certifications (though they help).
What improves leadership performance—what sustains development and builds resilience—is leading from mission, not ego.
When you build others, you build leadership.
When you extend your enterprise’s potential, you expand your impact.
When you reinvigorate your communities, you create legacies.
And when your leadership becomes a vehicle for others to thrive—you realize that the greatest gift of leadership isn’t power over people but purpose with people.
A Challenge for the Purposeful Leader
As you reflect on your next strategic decision, your next team meeting, or your personal development goals, ask yourself:
“Is this just for my improvement—or is it for a higher, shared ideal?”
Let that question guide your actions.
Let it shape your leadership.
Let it inspire your legacy.
💬 Let’s continue the conversation…
Which of the three mission-oriented leadership goals—building others, expanding enterprise value, or strengthening communities—resonates most with you right now?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. Let's help each other lead better—for the right reasons.
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[Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]
🔗 #LeadershipDevelopment #PurposeDrivenLeadership #ExecutivePerformance #StrategicImpact #EmpoweringLeaders