Service and Power

This year, I’ve been inspired to write about several different starting places we can use to help create our worldview. For example:

• Do we see the world as built on a system of things, for example, or a system of relationships, like nature?
• Do we see scarcity or abundance in our lives?
• Do we think control is possible? Or do we seek feedback and adapt to what is happening around us?

Today’s blog adds another perspective to this list, beginning with two important questions:

If you’ve read my work lately, you know how much Robin Wall Kimmerer’s new book The Serviceberry continues to inspire me.  Not surprisingly, the serviceberry tree offers a powerful metaphor for understanding power versus service.

The serviceberry (also known as a shadbush or Saskatoon) is found in a wide range of environments in the northern hemisphere. It is a large bush or tree that grows 6 to 25 feet tall, depending on the variety.  Its fruit (sometimes called juneberries) is a favorite of more than 30 species of birds and small animals like squirrels, chipmunks, and voles. People also love the serviceberry, often using it for baking or eating right out of the harvest pail!

I think the name of this plant is fascinating, hinting at its role and purpose in an ecological system. In nature, trees don’t eat their fruit, of course. They bear fruit to feed other species in their ecological system. Bees, in turn, pollinate their flowers, the sun and rain provide nutrients to help everything grow, and the birds spread their seeds to encourage new plants to grow. This natural cycle of abundance is anchored in the spirit of service.

Motivated by Service

Reflecting on my career, I realize I am motivated by service, not power. I achieved positions of power in hierarchical organizations. I learned to use that power to serve positive outcomes for the students, staff, and the organization. But my motivating intent wasn’t about power in and of itself.

I learned about the importance of service from my father. He was a successful businessman, a great father to six kids, and a good provider. But his true motivations were to serve the people who bought life insurance from him, develop his agents as people, and help raise his kids to contribute to their community and the world. My father always said we should leave a place better than we found it. Like the serviceberry tree, he saw all flourishing as mutual, and the way to activate that future was to orient one’s life through the lens of service. This was not the only important lesson I gained from my father, but it significantly impacted me professionally and personally.  Through this starting point, I’ve learned a powerful fact:

The quality of one’s life is enhanced through service and diminished when seeking only power.

Fear and Power

Now, juxtapose the desire to serve, like nature is designed to do, with the desire to grow, keep, use, and defend one’s power. When we orient around power as the measure of our success, we most often see power as something to use over others. This anchors us in a hierarchical world where we focus on getting and keeping power. The emotion of fear is intertwined with holding power, and the use of power over others and nature is all about its usefulness to ourselves.

Fear rests underneath power because, like a world view of scarcity, power isn’t seen as an abundant resource. Instead, we view it as a scarce commodity in our world. It’s a zero-sum game with only a set number of units of power. For that reason, the focus on gaining power has always implied that these statements are true:

These thoughts create a tremendous amount of fear and motivate some people to focus on power first. As a starting point, it shapes what they value. This core assumption also shapes their lives in other ways:

• How they spend their time
• The way they view nature
• The lens through which they see other people, as relationships are transactional.

They ask themselves questions like these: Can another person increase my power? Can I take power from a different group to satisfy my desires and goals? How powerful am I compared to others?

Transforming into Service

I use the word “they” here, but this is an easy trap for all of us to fall into. Our current context is filled with people motivated by power, and we can become fearful as a result of it. As humans, circling the wagons feels natural. When things feel this way, we can instead look for a life built on service. Instead of seeking power, we can ask ourselves how service can enrich our relationships. Eventually, we will naturally like human serviceberries.

The fact is that service grows the amount of love in our lives. It helps us give back to the ones who have helped us and provides a better future for those who come after us.  Service gives us meaning and purpose.

So, in my life and work, my purpose is to serve the larger system so it can thrive.

What’s yours?