Servant Leadership… and the Legend of Room 312

Put it on 312.

And how I got my newest nickname.

There’s a lot of talk about servant leadership these days. Countless books, TED Talks, and articles try to unpack it. But I think I can sum it up with one word: 312.

Let me explain…On our most recent Man Up and Go Kilimanjaro trip, we stayed in a hotel before and after the climb. When I checked in, they handed me my room key and said, “Room 312.” I thought nothing of it… until it became my identity for the next 10 days.

Somewhere along the way, the group decided 312 wasn’t just a room number—it was a command center. A few people asked where they should drop off water, snacks, and other supplies, and before I knew it, the answer was always: “Just put it in 312.” Apparently, if you’re leading 20 adults up a mountain, you’re also running a full-service depot out of your hotel room.

Now, to make matters worse (or better, depending on how much you enjoy giving me grief), 312 just so happened to be… well… a suite. A big suite. The kind of room where you half expect a butler to be polishing your hiking boots. I didn’t ask for it—hotel’s decision, not mine—but try convincing a group of guys lugging duffels into standard rooms that you didn’t pull rank.

So now, in the Man Up lore, I will forever be “312”—the guy with the big room, the stockpile of bottled water, and the revolving door of people coming to grab supplies, ask questions, or just hang out.

And honestly? I think it’s a perfect picture of servant leadership.

See, real leadership isn’t about the corner office or, in my case, the corner suite. It’s about what you do with the space, influence, and resources you’ve been given. I didn’t need that extra square footage, but I had it—and it became a place for the team to gather, prep, and recharge.

Servant leadership is messy. Sometimes it means giving up your quiet evening so someone else can raid your stash of granola bars. Sometimes it’s letting people see the behind-the-scenes chaos while you’re trying to keep everything moving forward. It’s leading from the front when the trail gets steep and stepping back when someone else needs the spotlight.

And yeah, sometimes it’s running the mountain’s unofficial supply chain from Room 312.

The funny thing is, I wouldn’t trade it. The jokes, the camaraderie, the late-night knocks on my door—it all reminded me that leadership is really about relationship. It’s about using whatever “suite” you’ve been given, literal or figurative, to serve the people you’re leading.

So here’s to all the leaders out there—whether your “room” is a cubicle, a classroom, or a corner office—may you make it a place where people know they can come, be equipped, and leave better than they arrived. And if you ever find yourself in Room 312, keep an eye out… someone might just drop off a case of water.

Take care,

Jeff Ford