The way a leader treats others is the way in which they will be treated. One cannot expect to treat others poorly and in return be treated fairly. The level that you value others is the level in which you will be valued by others. Thomas Carlyle said, “A great man shows his greatness, by the way he treats little men.”

What kind of leader are you?

A BIG leader or a SMALL leader?

Big Leaders want others to see them larger than they really are. They try and make themselves stand out from everyone else in a desperate attempt. Many times they push others out of the way in order to get the attention. Nazi Dictator, Adolf Hitler, interviewed 30 candidates to be his personal chauffeur. His qualification for whoever would drive him around was based on whoever the shortest man was so that Hitler would always look tall when he was with him. In fact, the guy that he picked was so short they literally had to build a special seat for him and put blocks under it so he could see the road ahead. Insecure leaders try to make themselves appear better than those around them. BIG leaders are smaller on the inside than they are on the outside.

Small Leaders, on the other hand, don’t mind if they appear smaller than they are. They enjoy seeing others become bigger as a result of their efforts. They are not afraid to step out of the spotlight and allow others to shine! This does not mean that small leaders hide in the shadows, it just means they are secure enough to share success. Small leaders are not actually small, they just help others get bigger than they are. It’s like a sign that I read one time that said, “I’m not fat, my friends are just skinny!” Small leaders are huge on the inside. As a matter of fact, they are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside.

Think about the story of David & Goliath in the Bible. David was a SMALL leader who went up against a BIG leader…it didn’t turn out so well for the BIG leader Goliath did it? It was the SMALL leader, David, who gained the Kingdom of Israel because of his ability to be a SMALL leader. His faith was bigger on the inside than Goliath’s power on the outside!

So what kind of leader are you? Do you enlarge others? Or do you spend your time trying to enlarge yourself? Great leaders are great because they make others great! Be a small leader that is BIGGER on the inside, and you will have more influence than you can possibly imagine!