I’ve blogged about my recent trip to Bogota to speak on the International Customer Service Forum with Tim Sanders and Joseph Michelli.

The three of us had lunch one day that was hosted by our friends at Hi-Cue. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Tim for quite some time (we sometimes communicate by email) and so much of lunch was spent catching up.

Tim is the author of Love is the Killer App and The Likability Factor. His new book, Saving the World at Work comes out September 16 of this month.

As lunch was winding down, Tim turned to me and said, “Mark, how can I be of service to you right now?”

I was touched by his thoughtfulness and reminded that what he asked is the fundamental question of leadership. Tim practices what he preaches, so to speak, so his question was sincere.

The old and unfortunately common view of leadership is that it is about what one achieves or gains, not how one contributes and serves. Robert Greenleaf alerted business to the higher calling of leadership in  his classic book Servant Leadership. The leader as one who serves is a lesson we need to continue to learn today.