Serve To Lead

“The ties that bind us are stronger than the occasional stresses that separate us.” -Colin Powell

It’s on every bus, manhole cover, bus stop, and mile marker across the city of Sevilla. It’s even built into some of the cities sculptures and walls. The cryptographic symbol of the city and what it represents sparked my curiosity on day one of our 3 day stay in July. And what I found was yet again, a fantastic lesson on leadership.

The words no8do are placed together with a skein of yarn connecting them. The yarn is itself symbolic. The word nudo or “knot” can be deciphered from no and do and a skein of yarn is a “medaja.” When Coded together and translated you end up with “No me ha dejaDo” or “She has not left me.” According to the legend, which you can also find adorning the walls of the city’s airport as a mural, the symbol finds its origin in the story of King Alfonso X in the13th century.

Alfonso is said to have loved Sevilla and its people. He ordered schools to be built, universities, churches, and the largest shipyard in Europe at the time. He showed his dedication to the city. And, in his most trying time as king, the city embraced him. The people helped him hide while being persecuted by his own son who was attempting to overthrow him and take his crown. The legend has it that Alfonso’s words were, “Sevilla and God never left me.” Though being hunted down by his own child, fearing for his life and his kingdom, the people he’d shown commitment and respect to, in his time of need, reciprocated.

There’s no doubt that King Alfonso X and the people of Sevilla were dedicated to one another. After 700 years the symbol not only is still evident, it is a prominent reminder to the people and its visitors of what Sevilla is “all about.” Consuming the knowledge of this history as well as nourishing your soul with trips to the Catedral de Sevilla, the Plaza de España, and La Geralda you come away with a full mind and heart. And, if you time it before 2pm a full belly of tapas. The perspective I was left with from this 5 course meal of leadership did me more good than the siesta I took after the 7 mile round trip walk and table top full of patatas bravas and fresh tomatoes with tuna steak.

Can we as leaders create a similar bond of respect and dedication that Alfonso X and the people of Sevilla had? Of course! Though no crowns are adorned by coaches, administrators, or CEO’s in 2024 (at least none I’m aware of but I’ve seen crazier things lately) the level of commitment to a cause, vision, and culture that Sevilla holds dear can be attained by us now within our organizations. It begins with respect and acts of service.

Sancho IV was a killer. He disposed of his opposition and I don’t mean he fired them. But even facing impending death and destruction, Sevilla held fast and stayed true. While we don’t face the guillotine because of a losing season or a quarterly trip to the “red,” our present and future with our organization are always going to face trying times and the uncertainty that accompany them. But let’s really get philosophical with this idea. It’s applicable to our personal lives too! How about showing this much dedication to our spouses and children. Do I have your attention now?

When we serve those we lead and those we love, we live out our commitment to them and respect for them. Those are the ties that bind us together. The things that form our knot of solidarity to each other. Here are three things you can focus on this week to not only serve those you lead, but to strengthen the knot.

1) Respect is earned: Give it to get it - Do you take phone calls, answer emails, stare at your phone, slouch in your chair, or otherwise have poor body language when you’re speaking with someone you lead or when your spouse has something they want to share with you? Well stop that! Have an open body language, make eye contact, absorb what they have to say to understand and not to formulate your own response. Get to know the people you lead as a person first. What do they value? What resonates with them? What do they dream about for their own children? What is their vision for the team? Do you inspire them? These answers will help you in the next step. Pay attention and pay respect.

2) Acts of service - Do you, leader, perform acts of service for those you love, as well as those you lead in your organization? It’s a way to demonstrate your commitment to them and their well being. Acts of service are not transactional. Do them without expectation or any return on investment. Are they impactful? Alfonso built schools to educate the people. Do you think No8Do would still be around if all he did was erect statues of himself and demand respect? Are you serving your family and team in a manner that impacts them and not you? You have to know what is meaningful to them first (See #1). Find out what they need and then meet that need. Maybe you clean the house and have dinner ready for your wife and children after they’ve had a hard day. Yeah you might have too, but service is about sacrifice, not convenience! Are your employees getting burned out? Plan a day that builds team and community. Involve their families, or plan a day in which you give them the afternoon off! Meet THEIR needs.

3) Autonomy = Trust - Are you a micromanager? Do you give people or teams tasks, projects, or accounts and then dictate to them exactly how to manage them successfully? This is also a tenet of decentralized leadership. Why form a hiring committee if you’re going to completely ignore them? Do you hire based on what your “buddies” have to say or do you trust the people you lead (yes I’m blasting the “good ol’ boy system”). Give those you lead your trust by allowing them some creative freedom. If your values, standards, and expectations have been implemented properly and you have buy-in to them, then you’ll be in good hands.

Alfonso X did these 3 things for the people of Sevilla and the city still acknowledges it even 700 years after the fact. This week demonstrate respect for those you love and those you lead in your verbal and nonverbal communication, perform acts of service for them that are impactful and meaningful to them, and give them autonomy and therefore trust to uphold your family’s or organization’s culture in the way the live and work with you.

The ties of commitment and respect will bind your family and your team together stronger than ever. And, when adversity comes for you, and it will, you can believe that a bastion of support will uphold you in your time of need. When the arrows of adversity track your trajectory and when the spears of loss and doubt are flung, you and your people will be shielded by your sense of oneness and belief in your leadership. God is always with us even in our most trying times, shaping us for what our next steps in our path will be. But, when our time at our organization, team, and time on this earth are over, if we lead and live with commitment and respect, we can we also proclaim, “My people never left me.”

700 years is quite an impact. Live and love this week as if its your last. Lead in a manner that will last 700 years and beyond. NOt for yourself, but DO for others. Have a blessed week leaders.