The greatest leaders create team environments of flourishing and thriving. And they do this by embodying three leadership characteristics before anything else: they are (1) Servants, (2) Shepherds, and (3) Stewards.
In the final post of this three-part series, we discuss that…
The greatest leaders are stewards!
Steward Defined
To get things started, here’s a super simple definition of a steward:
A steward is a person responsible for taking care of someone else’s stuff.
So with this, there are three entities involved:
- The steward – the person caring for the “stuff”.
- The owner – the person who has the “stuff” to be cared for.
- The stuff – the thing(s) to be cared for.
Got it? Okay, let’s go a step deeper.
A Better Definition
I think the definition of steward can be improved to better explain the role.
So here’s my expanded definition:
A steward is a person entrusted to care for someone’s stuff, on behalf of the owner, for the benefit of both the owner and the owner’s stuff, for as long as they are in that position.
Great Leadership is Stewardship
If you want to be a great leader, you must look at your leadership role as stewardship. So what does that mean?
Let’s take what we discussed above and apply it directly to leadership.
The Three Entities
First, here are the three entities involved in a leadership setting:
- The steward – the leader.
- The owner – I believe this is God, the creator of all people and the creator of leadership, but if that’s not your perspective then consider the owner as the highest standard of leadership.
- The stuff – the team and team members.
Stewardship Applied to Great Leadership
Now, we can apply the definition of a steward to leadership and call out what great leaders do. When we do that, we’ll see that a steward leader has three qualities and does three things to create team environments of flourishing and thriving. Here they are:
1. They Are Entrusted
Leadership is a position of trust where the leader is expected and obligated to always lead their team members in the right way. A great leader is trustworthy.
2. They Care
A leader must care for, protect, provide for, and help their team members. A great leader is caring.
3. The Team Isn’t Theirs
The leader doesn’t own the team. The team doesn’t belong to them. The team members aren’t there for the leader or for the leader’s benefit. The leader is there for the team and the team members. A great leader is selfless.
4. They Lead By A Standard
The leader is tasked with leading how the owner would want, not how the leader wants. This means the leader has to meet high expectations. A great leader follows a higher standard.
5. They Lead For Others
The leader’s primary job is to seek prosperity and glory for the team members (as well as the owner), not themselves. The lead for the benefit of others. A great leader distributes glory.
6. They Lead For A Time
Change happens and at some point the leader will no longer lead their current team and team members. A leader must ensure their team and team members are prepared to succeed after they are leave. A great leader sets others up for future success.
Go Steward
The best picture of stewardship in my opinion is holding something with open hands. It’s a posture of saying “this isn’t mine but I will treat it well while I have it.”
This is how great leaders look at their role – “this team isn’t mine but I will treat it well while I lead it.” Is this how you look at your leadership role?
The greatest leaders are stewards. They are trustworthy, caring, and selfless. They follow a higher standard, they distribute glory, and they set others up for future success.
Being a steward comes with significant responsibility and accountability, but great leaders are ready for the challenge. Are you?
Leaders, go be great and be stewards!
The greatest leaders are stewards. They are trustworthy, caring, and selfless. They follow a higher standard, they give glory, and they set others up for future success. Share on XPhoto by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash