The Queen Who Lost Her Throne

My husband and I own a 1925 farmhouse in the countryside of New England. However, moving into an old farmhouse gifted us with so many surprises! One of which I am hugely not fond of – – PESTS! The pesty life of carpenter ants taught me that even these little critters prove how order defines the job they are called to do. By protecting the Queen ant and surrounding her with resources, the workers help the colony thrive. However, once the Queen has lost her throne, the colony eventually dies. How do productivity and efficiency lead to thriving colonies? Rock solid leadership with a servant’s heart! From my perspective, three leadership traits help their teams thrive: Respect, integrity, and empathy.

Respectful Work Environments Promote Productivity

One night after dinner, my husband John and I discovered a pool of carpenter ants flowing out from a wooden beam in our kitchen. In horror, we couldn’t reach our pest control guy, so we darted to our local hardware store instead. Upon arrival, I raced to the pest control aisle in haste and was told bait traps would work best for our problem. I asked the clerk that day, “What happens when the ants take the bait?” The clerk responded, “They take it back to the Queen and she will eventually die”. It appears the workers respected and loved their Queen enough to keep her fed, even if they didn’t realize they took the bait!

You Will Know Them by Their Values

I once worked for a boss who stole drinks for a huge company function and favored some of my teammates along the way. Ants are loyal to their Queen and respect her enough to do the right thing in keeping the colony alive. Proverbs 28:6 tells us, “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Integrity is a free asset and when practiced from a servant’s heart, can glue a team together for the benefit of the whole.

Empathy Builds Trust

When a leader is sincere and shows empathy in how they lead, the team (or colony) responds with trust. If I know my leader shows compassion if I’m struggling or demonstrates patience while I learn, a positive relationship begins to grow.  Extending compassion in my opinion goes hand in hand with limiting our selfish mindsets.

Let me take you back to the info I learned at the hardware store that day. In the ant world, the Queen controls the colony. She creates order, she is the foundress and directs her little army of ants! When the Queen dies so does the colony. I pondered my life when I had horrible Queens at work. The disrespectful Queen, the Queen with no integrity and Queen who believed compassion was a weakness. All these leadership types eventually force their people out to find other opportunities (or colonies).

Spiritually speaking, none of the above can be accomplished without service.  Jesus teaches us that true leadership requires a servant’s heart. In Matthew 20:25-28 he reminds the mother of Zebedee’s sons that, “Whoever wants to be great must be a servant and that the son of man did not come to be served but to give his life as a ransom for many.”