In a recent profile, Donald Trump detailed his glamorous vision of the President: “Jimmy Carter used to get off Air Force One carrying his luggage, I used to say, ‘I don’t want a president carrying his luggage…we want someone who is going to go out and kick ass and win,” not someone “who’s gonna come off carrying a large bag of underwear.”
Of course this quote is can be written-off as Trump-being-Trump, but it still got me thinking. Do I want my President to carry his own suitcase? Sure, a President has far more important things to do. When nuclear diplomacy is on your to-do list, I hope you have the common sense to pay someone to do your laundry and tax returns. So no, I don’t want the president to carry his own suitcase. But I do want one who is willing to.
I want a President who’s a servant leader, one who cares more about solving people’s problems than stroking his own ego. According to Howard Shultz, the CEO of Starbucks, “The values of servant leadership – putting others first and leading from the heart – need to emerge from every corner of American life, including the business community.” It’s these values that led Pope Francis to kneel and wash the feet of a dozen prisoners in Rome after being elected Pontiff. It’s these principles that encourage Schultz to give even part-time Starbucks employees access to health care, free college education, and stock options.
“Too many of our political leaders are putting party before country, power before principle and cynicism before civility,” says Schultz. “The common purpose that created this great nation, which has united us in difficult moments, has gone missing. Our country is in desperate need of servant leaders, of men and women willing to kneel and embrace those who are not like them. Everyone seeking the presidency professes great love for our nation. But I ask myself, how can you be a genuine public servant if you belittle your fellow citizens and freeze out people who hold differing views?”
Does carrying your own suitcase make you an ineffective leader with a damaged brand? Would it hurt your ability to motivate, encourage, inspire, and lead people? Would it devalue your calls to action? I don’t think so. It might actually mean that you’re attuned to the thoughts and feelings of those around you, that you don’t take yourself more seriously than the problems you’re trying to solve. As a businessman, it might help you understand your customers’ wants and your employees’ needs. As a politician, it might remind you that there are actual human lives your policy is affecting. Leadership is a privilege and we’d be better off with a leader who understands this.