In the last two blogs, you have met Andy Arrogant. An egotistical individual with no fire service experience, yet when asked where he saw himself in five years, he responded, “I see myself as the fire chief of this department.” Clearly this individual suffered from a common medical malady: cranium rectosis (head up his rear-end).
During a leadership seminar I attended several years ago, the concept of servanthood stood out—specifically, the depth of caring for others. It sparked a thought: what if the real issue with “deserve” is what happens when we remove the focus on serve?
Take the word deserve. Strip away the prefix “de,” and what remains? Serve. That shift changes everything.
When leaders operate from a mindset of “I deserve,” their focus turns inward—on recognition, advancement, and personal gain. But when they embrace serve, their focus shifts outward—to their team, their organization, and the mission.
You can’t live in both mindsets at the same time.
Servant leaders ask:
- How can I add value?
- Who can I develop?
- What does my team need from me?
Entitled leaders ask:
- When is my promotion?
- Why didn’t I get recognized?
- What about me?
One builds trust. The other erodes it.
Looking back at “Andy Arrogant,” his problem wasn’t ambition—it was misaligned motivation and misplaced pride. And unfortunately, that mindset eventually created the very problems I was concerned about. The powers in charge decided to bring Andy into the fire department and in five years he was not the fire chief, but he was one of the biggest pains in the rear end that you can imagine. It took some time, but fortunately Andy went away.
So, here’s the question: where do you fall?
When you use the word deserve, pause, and reflect. Are you de-serving—removing value from others by focusing only on yourself? Or are you serving—adding value and lifting others up?
Leadership isn’t about what you’re owed. It’s about what you give. Choose to serve others.
