One of the concepts that Ken Blanchard explores in “Leading at a Higher Level” is the difference between a driven leader and a called leader. Coming from the faith world, the concept of “calling” is familiar. It’s not explored much in the business world.
A driven leader is a person who seeks to advance their own cause, their own agenda, and looks to move authority up the ladder.
A called leader is one who seeks to serve those around him or her. A called leader seeks to improve the leadership skills of others, moving down the ladder to serve rather than waiting to be served.
This is not to say that a called leader does not have passion or ambition. In fact, they are often very passionate about what they’re doing and why — but it’s a passion that’s redirected away from self-interest to the interest of others.
Driven leaders focus on profits; called leaders know that profits are produced by people.