When Dream Run Camp launched in May 2023, our only vehicle was a five-passenger Tesla Model S. It proved adequate initially, as we had only a trickle of athletes coming through the camp. But as the business grew, we eventually outgrew the car, which I traded in last year for a seven passenger Mazda CX-90 PHEV. The Mazda in turn proved adequate initially, but as we continued to grow, we outgrew it as well, so I bought a twelve-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinter passenger van.
My mindset was completely utilitarian in making this purchase. I didn’t really think about whether I would enjoy driving people around in the van; I just knew we needed it. So I was surprised to discover that in fact I enjoyed it very much, and I continue to enjoy it long after the new-car smell faded. I like sitting way up high with a panoramic view of my surroundings. I like the leather upholstery and the high-end sound system and the way the side door opens and closes with the push of a button. But most of all I like the experience my passengers have inside the van, where they feel as well taken care of as first-class passengers on an Airbus A380 cruising high over the Pacific.
One day my wife, Nataki, caught me grinning vacantly as I chauffeured a group to Camp Verde for some marathon-pace running at lower elevation.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked.
“I’m a bus driver!” I said.
The tone of this remark was semi-ironic. Technically, I’m not a bus driver but a business owner, coach, and author. If I gave up my actual job roles to become a full-time bus driver, I would take a hefty pay cut. And yet . . .
An Idea with Legs
The concept of servant leadership has existed at least since the time of Jesus, who told his followers, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The term “servant leadership” was coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. The graphic below summarizes the key differences between traditional leaders and servant leaders. I first heard about servant leadership from my friend Jake Tuber, an organizational psychologist and running coach. I latched onto the philosophy immediately because it perfectly captured how I saw my role as a coach. I’d come across similar ideas in the book InsideOut Coaching, where esteemed football coach, coach educator, and author Joe Ehrmann uses the terms “transactional coaching” and “transformational coaching” to distinguish traditional leadership from servant leadership in the realm of sports. But the servant coach concept speaks to me on a deeper level than any other coaching framework I’ve come across.
Mind you, servant leadership isn’t all about serving. It’s also about leadership. I don’t hesitate to call out an athlete for sloppy workout execution or running through pain or withholding information I need to plan their training properly. At the same time, I take pride in handing water bottles to runners during workouts, wheel measuring interval routes for them, and yes, transporting them to and from running venues.
The bus-driver conceit captures this duality perfectly. The expression “driving the bus” refers to being in control or having a leadership role. But a literal bus driver is fundamentally a servant, doing the work of transporting passengers safely and comfortably to their destination while the passengers themselves relax and enjoy the ride.
The thing is, most athletes expect coaches to be leaders and not servants. In their minds, the coach’s role is to tell the athlete what to do and the athlete’s role is to do what they’re told. A lot of the athletes who come to Dream Run Camp seem disoriented at first when they see me do things like gather everyone’s empty plates after serving them dinner on Thursday evening and begin washing up while everyone else continues to hang out and talk. I do it because the dishes need to be washed but also because I want my runners to see me humble myself. It sets the tone for healthy and fruitful coach-athlete relationships. Jesus washed his followers’ feet for pretty much the same reason.
Not that I’m comparing myself to Jesus.