Pie in the Face

This is a picture of Sylvie’s swim team this morning.  It is nearly the end of their competing season, and the coaches decided to end the season this year by allowing the kids to attack them (in a somewhat controlled manner) with whipped cream “pies.”  The premise behind this end-of-the-season event was that the kids could wage some revenge on the coaches for all of the hard practices they put them through over the summer.  As I watched this fun and silly process, it got me thinking about leaders, and what makes some leaders stand out from the rest.   It seems to me that really great leaders have to be willing at times to be humbled by those they lead, to “take a pie in the face,” once in a while so to speak.  Sometimes, the one thing that really stands in the way of a leader rising to the next level is their unwillingness to realize that, in giving push-back and constructive criticism, those they lead often will provide them with the most essential information needed to truly improve as a leader.   It has been my experience also that leaders who are open and willing to respond to those they lead garner a much higher level of respect.  And, aren’t humility and openness traits that truly characterize a servant leader?  In what ways have you seen great leaders willing to humble themselves?