5 Personal leadership lessons I have learnt from my house help

I have learnt quite a few leadership lessons from observing and interacting with my previous house help for 2.5 years. I do and will remember her fondly for who she is.

I share these lessons here in the hope that it serves as a reference to what constitutes leadership in any life context we may find ourselves in:

1. Humility: A noteworthy characteristic about my house help is her humility. I remember an interaction with her where she expressed her anguish about a family issue that has come up revealed this strong aspect about her. She may be doing very well today but she remains grounded about her humble beginnings. She very well knows that keeping this in her mind will hold her and her family in good stead.

A leader practices humility in his speech and actions.

2. Persistence: Although there have been times when she has had to miss work due to genuine family issues, those were mere exceptions. She shows up for work, does her daily chores and leaves. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. No complaints ever.

A leader persists with her issue/task/inquiry at hand.

3. Trust worthiness: It's amazing how she has conducted herself in the last 2.5 yrs. Being someone who is usually quite careful with strangers coming home, I have rarely felt insecure about my belongings with her around. There have been times when I have even left my house with her working there. And when inquired about the reason for missing a particular day's work, her response always seem to be genuine.

A leader exudes trust in his actions and speech.

4. Self awareness and an Inner Strength: She exudes a certain knowing-ness and inner strength that is hard to express in words and can be easily felt in just over a few interactions. She is the leader of her family. Her husband being an alcoholic, she is in charge of all that happens in the family including financial matters. She is the boss who serves all the families she works for and her own family. An epitome of servant leadership.

A leader is self aware and well connected to her inner strength and thereby leads by example. She evokes respect in the other for her through her behaviour.

5. Empathy: Family - her most important priority. A wife. A mother of three youngsters. A mother in law. A doting grand mother to two toddlers. And a few more roles. All in the joint family that she leads. It's amazing how she manages all her roles, truly caring for each of her family member, irrespective of how different they are from her or from each other.

A leader keeps his team in good shape and spirit and takes responsibility for their well being, irrespective of their differences with each other or the difficult situations they may have to face from time to time.

What leadership traits have you observed in those who help you on a daily basis?