“Jimmy Carter Lauded for His Humility and Service,” stated the Associated Press headline over a story about the 39th president’s funeral at the National Cathedral.
It is not often that we remember national leaders for their sense of humility. After all, you cannot be elected to high office if you lack a strong ego. President Carter certainly believed in his own abilities, and at times, he brooked little dissent and had a tendency to micro-manage. But taken as a whole, Carter lived a life of service, and as an evangelical Christian, he sought to live by a creed that reminded believers of the need to be humble.
Life of Service
At his funeral, his grandsons noted Carter’s commitment to service. Joshua Carter said, “He built houses for people who needed homes. He eliminated diseases in forgotten places. He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people.”
Mentioning his grandmother Roslyn and their frugality, Jason Carter noted, “They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives.” The Carter Center that Jason chairs is testimony to the late president’s commitment to service.
Humility is often spoken about in leadership circles but too often not practiced. After all, when you are running a large organization, you need people to follow your example. You need to demonstrate that you have a command of the issues and can make the big decisions. Humility takes a back seat to projecting authority.
How Leaders Serve
Good leaders with whom I know manifest a strong sense of self, but they know they can achieve little by themselves. One example is Alan Mulally, who became CEO of Ford Motor Company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Observers believed that Mulally, an executive from Boeing, would clean house. He did nothing of the kind. Instead, he provided strong direction by focusing on the issues and mobilizing the senior team to coordinate and collaborate.
Another leader is Garry Ridge, CEO emeritus of the WD-40 Company. Garry believed that managers were coaches whose job was to bring out the best in their people. That means providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed.
Humility and service are complementary. You need humility to recognize that leadership is a team game. Your purpose is to do what you can to put people in positions where they can succeed. Service to others and for others is paramount. Frances Hesselbein, former CEO of the Girl Scouts, was fond of saying, “To serve is to live.”
One-time White House aide Stuart Eizenstat noted in his eulogy that Carter “may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills.” This is not a bad remembrance for a president who never forgot the lessons of living simply but seeking to do good works by serving others.
First posted on Forbes.com 1.00.2025