Alright, so Jesus didn't really give anyone a foot scrub, but you probably have heard the story of how the Son of God took one whole evening to wash the stinky and dirty feet of His disciples.
This story has been used many times as an example of servant leadership and humility. People know the story, but I can only imagine how only a handful of leaders are actually willing to wash their followers' feet.
Maybe not literally, but there are many small tasks that we can do to show our employees, staff and teams how we exist to serve them as they serve others. The world cries out for servant leadership because leaders nowadays would rather sit in an office, go on expensive lunch meetings and play golf with colleagues. There's nothing wrong with any of these, but when they replace the value of our people, we lose sight of the call of leadership.
Here are some lessons we can learn from the account in John 13 of Jesus washing the disciple's feet
Jesus never delegated service
Many times Jesus delegated tasks that would bring their disciples honor. He gave them authority to cast out demons and sickness, but He did not delegate opportunities to serve them.
Leaders can delegate a long list of tasks to their teams, but one thing that they must never delegate is the service that we give to our teams.
Jesus was promoting humility, not face value
Nowadays, the concept of being a servant leader is likened to wearing the latest designer clothes and signature shoes. Many leaders, sadly some Christian ones, take servant leadership for the face value and branding it gives them, but there is no willingness to take on the heart of service.
James 4:5 tells us, "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" God calls for service from the heart, not from the mouth.
Jesus partook of the lives of those whom He served
Jesus served His disciples as a way of partaking of their life. John 13:8 says, "Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.'"
As leaders, we are also called to experience life with our teams. Corporate culture now dictates that we separate personal from professional lives, but there can be instances where bosses can coach employees not just in the area of work, but even in ethics, values, family and devotion.
