servant leadership: for the sake of our humanity

What makes a young leader? What defines a young leader? Who are the young leaders among us? And more importantly what are we doing to help these young people and what are we providing of ourselves by way of service others?

I was honored to be invited to give a talk on leadership at a DA Youth seminar this past weekend. It was a real privilege to stand up in front of a group of young people who, in spite of all the hardships they face, make time to serve others and give freely of their time. The delegates travelled from far afield, giving up their Saturday in order to learn how they can serve their respective communities and assist other people in achieving their goals.

Part of the day’s proceedings involved a two minute talk by each delegate. It was, for some of the young people there, their first experience of doing a ‘public’ talk. The fear that gripped some of the delegates was tangible, however each one of them stood up, introduced themselves and gave it their best with many of them speaking in their second language, yet their belief in what they stood for outweighed the fear inside them.

It is young people like these who will create a future that is better for all of us. It is the individual who serves others that will ultimately make our country and indeed our world, a better place.

On Saturday I saw junior leaders in their respective communities who value the responsibility of leadership and are hungry to learn and grow themselves; young people who are willing to make sacrifices to uplift those around them. They were not there on a ‘power trip’ as many of our current political leaders appear to be. These young people had genuine concerns about their future and the future of those around them and our country and are willing to make changes however small or big in order to achieve their goals of improving our country for all.

My experience with these young leaders has left me asking, isn’t it time that we stop focusing only on ourselves and our personal goals, or even worse, on our personal problems?

There is so much need in the world today, whether it is steering the political landscape, saving rhino’s, helping those less fortunate, visiting someone in need or calling an old friend. Let us take some time out of our busy schedule and do something for the greater good of the wider community.

This is something we all need to do, not for the sake of others but for the sake of our own humanity.

Dylan Murray: Entrepreneur, adventurer and writer, Dylan believes that anyone can create the lifestyle they dream of and intends to show the world that it is possible, even for the ‘ordinary-man-in-the-street’, to have it all; true love, health, wealth, family and adventure. You can follow him on Twitter @dylanportalfred or on his blog  www.dylaninportalfred.com. To enquire about his sales and referral marketing presentations and courses contact him here.