Why do leaders serve?

With Community Service Day coming up soon (Friday April 16, to be specific!) I would be remiss if I didn't use this space to talk a little bit about leadership and service, and ask an important question:

Why do leaders serve?

To be an authentic leader, we must value our surroundings. We must recognize that we are but a part of a large and complex world.

Leaders inspire, and similarly, service inspires us, too.

When I think about the importance of service, I'm reminded of a recent insurance commercial that shows one person doing a favor for another, inspring an onlooker to then do something kind for someone else, which inspires another onlooker to do something similar, and so on. The commercial is a valuable message. It shows that small acts of kindness and stewardship are often paid forward by those who witness and benefit from them.

It reminds us that we are part of a larger whole, and that as individuals we can have a powerful and dramatic influence on others.

It's like the "butterfly effect." Just as a butterfly in Japan flapping its wings can create an effect a world away, so too can our acts of service. Tragically, and beautifully, we often never know, or understand the full impact of our generosity.

Anyone who watches the news knows this world needs heroes--not just those who save lives and leap tall buildings. It needs individuals who will work together and leverage partnerships, building connections and networks based on the idea that we are stronger together than we are apart.

So what does this mean for us, right now, at UB and other universities like UB nationwide? It means we can, and must, take time to celebrate community, to build relationships, and to lead each other in small but important acts of kindness.

Consider signing up for Community Service Day, or joining in other revitalization and cleanup efforts in your community. Keep those butterfly wings flapping!

Visit www.ubalt.edu/communityserviceday to sign up for Community Service Day (deadine April 12).

Anthony Butler is Assistant Director of Leadership in the Rosenberg Center for Student Involvement.

Since 2001, Leadership UB has provided leadership training and opportunities for service and reflection to University of Baltimore and the surrounding community. To find out how you can get involved, visit www.ubalt.edu/leadership or e-mail leadership@ubalt.edu.