To Lead is to serve.

As I begin to transition from my last year of school into the workplace, I am finding less and less time to commit to this blog. While my dreams and ambitions for a leadership platform like this are still very much alive, I feel that Servantude itself, for now, has come to an end. When I started this blog 1.5 years ago, I was an average writer and really just thought I could share my ideas about leadership. While I am now just an average writer with experience, I am more confident in my ability to lead from committing the amount of time that I did to this blog. I may come back to it at some point, but for now it's a goodbye. But, I think it's only fair to the people who have invested time and energy into me and helped support this blog to share one last message. So, here it is.

There are a lot of things that I could share, but I think sharing the one driving motivation/inspiration behind Servantude will be the best possibility of giving a good understanding of why I place such high value on servant leadership.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others

above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the

interests of others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to

be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above

every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:3-11 NIV

This passage is really the embodiment of the idea of Servantude. And, I was fortunate enough to have a dad who was an incredible example for this attitude of heart for me growing up. While he hasn't died on a cross, and is certainly not Jesus himself, he does set aside his status and pride each and every day to be a servant to the people in his work and life. Seeing my dad lead makes this passage all the more real to me, and he and my mom are the ones who encouraged me to give this whole thing a go.

As with all things in my life, my parents have been the best encouragers and supporters for me and have absolutely set the standard for most things in my life, and I wouldn't trade it.

Thank you if you read this far, and thank you for supporting me in this venture. And, if you want to lead well, then serve.

-Tanner