Dizzybutterfly reflected on the profound insights of John Burroughs in his writing, “The Secret of Happiness is Something to Do” (Watson, 1951: p. 3). The basic premise that the book conveys is that the spark of life exists when our hearts are on fire lit by our passions. Passion is the engine that spurs our life in a meaningful direction, filling us with purpose and a zest for life.
I loved how Dizzybutterfly made the connection between Burroughs’ writing with servant leadership whereby an individual desires to share their passion with others, leading to emergent leadership and mentorship. If famous figures did not follow their passions, and therefore engage in mentoring others, the world would never have reaped the fruits of their labour. For example, Steve Jobs had Bill Campbell as a mentor and Bill Gates had Warren Buffet as a mentor (Rashid, 2017). After a mentee achieves excellence, emergent leadership characteristics come out, and they wish to give back through the act of mentoring. For example, Steve Jobs eventually mentored Mark Zuckerberg. Servant leaders wish to see their followers grow, accomplish their aspirations, and ultimately reach their full potential (Northouse, 2017: p.236). Servant leaders, such as the leaders named, are focused on empowering and adding value to the community at large. They likely would not have been as effective nor revolutionize society if following their passion wasn’t at the forefront.
I also enjoyed how Dizzybutterfly made it personal by sharing the desire to mentor and to develop others at this point in his/her career. Since I recently began my career, I am at the opposite side of the spectrum as I am looking for mentors that I can learn from. However, I have hopes of eventually experiencing emergent leadership and thus mentoring others that share my passion (once I have achieved excellence). Not only must I share my knowledge and experience that I have collected over the years but also demonstrate servant leadership qualities in all aspects of the mentorship. I want to inspire others to become servant leaders, embodying strong moral ethics by putting the needs of others first. Thank you Dizzybutterfly for this inspiring blog!
Christina
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Leadership: theory and practice (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Rashid, B. (May, 2017). 3 Reasons all Great Leaders have Mentors (and Mentees). Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianrashid/2017/05/02/3-reasons-all-great-leaders-have-mentors-and-mentees/#7f5a698113f9
Watson, L. E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.