Defining the In Business For Life company: Humbling Serving Others (part 1 of 2)

By Brad Lindemann

​My company, Ambassador Solutions, is about serving people. We believe that our best interests are ultimately served by putting the interests of others before our own. Such service includes the giving of our time, talents and treasures (individually and corporately) to those less fortunate. We do this in hopes of improving their quality of life today and their odds for a better life tomorrow. We do this in hopes of doing what we can to change the world for the better.

Since that memorable April Fools’ Day in 1989, we’ve run our business with the absolute conviction that our best interests are served by putting the best interests of our clients, candidates and employees before our own. This can only be done consistently by taking a long-term view of every relationship and every decision. Today’s expedient move can lay the traps for tomorrow’s unforeseen setback. Maximizing short-term profit can minimize long-term growth.

It’s not always easy to determine what’s best for all parties. Realizing this some years ago, I started thinking in terms of God’s best versus the best. They are, of course, one in the same, yet framing the issue from God’s perspective has really helped mine. After all, most matters of substance call for wisdom that only He can provide, so why not start there?

To humbly serve others, to lead by serving, is a counter-intuitive concept, but one that’s been around for millennia. However, the modern concept and phrase “servant leadership” was first articulated by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970. With the publishing of Greenleaf’s first essay entitled “The Servant as Leader,” a global counter-cultural leadership movement was born. Today, the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership is located in Westfield, Indiana, about a mile north of our home in Carmel-By-The-Retention-Pond.