I guarantee that today’s episode will inspire you. If it doesn’t, you can have your money back! We all aspire to be great leaders. So, if there was one thing that we could work on to grow our influence, what would you choose? I’ll bet you think of your speaking skills or networking. Maybe you think about managing conflict or inspiring your team toward greatness. Those are all great leadership traits, no doubt. But today, I’m going to talk about an equally great trait, this is a consistent trait found in great leaders.
My good friend, Tom Jackson, is the President of Steel Encounters which is a large commercial construction company here in SLC. He invited my wife, Ginger, and me to join Steel Encounters at the Titan Awards being presented by the Sandy Chamber of Commerce. For those of you who don’t know SLC, Sandy is a suburb on the south-east side of the SL Valley. I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about what I heard and learned from these great leaders in our community.
These leaders demonstrated several striking consistencies:
- All of them had great parents,
- Each one prioritized long-lasting relationships (with their spouses and with their community),
- They had mentors who had given them key guidance in their journey, and
- Most importantly, they all served with the talents and capabilities they had developed
Think about the most simple things we know, or take for granted, that might be useful to someone else:
- balancing a checkbook
- establishing an emergency fund
- picking the right insurance coverage
- understanding health savings accounts (HSA) and how to take advantage of them
- how to participate in a company 401k with a company match or an employee share purchase plan
- routine car maintenance like checking the oil, brake or transmission fluid, or just where to fill the windshield wiper fluid reservoir
- darn a sock or make a quilt
- update a resume or apply for a job online
- doing taxes at the end of the year
- maybe it’s as simple as self-care, good grooming habits, or how to eat healthy on a budget
Don’t prejudge who you will serve. It might be a co-worker or colleague, a parishioner at your church, someone at the local homeless shelter, senior or community center. Get out there!
The key to serving well? Do it with enthusiasm and eagerness. Be willing to throw yourself into a situation where you may not fully understand the outcome.
Great quotes from this episode:
“You find talent by performing tasks! The world opens up to you when you take fearful steps, presenting a beautiful landscape of opportunities.” – First Lady of Utah, Jeanette Herbert
“You must be present to win.” – Ron Jibson
“There are many things in life that will catch your eyes, but only one that will catch your heart.” – Chinese fortune cookie
“My dad told me numerous times that “we are darn lucky to be born in this country and we should repay that through service.” I believe that service can include any number of occupations where the end goal is to help someone or something become better than before. Building Navy ships fits that description but so does teaching or research or community service. It’s about doing something that is bigger than yourself.” – Mike Petters, President and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries
“Do not look at the bottom of the pyramid or emerging markets as a problem to be solved; see it as an opportunity to make a difference, to change the quality of the lives of the under-served by giving them dignity. Nothing is wrong with maximizing shareholder value by serving the underprivileged.” – Hikmet Ersek, President and CEO of Western Union
“What folks need is to know that they have been seen and that they matter.” – Denver Moore
“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself.” – Viktor Frankl
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Leader to Leader Episode 33: Your Higher Purpose: An Interview With Kevin Monroe
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Thanks for Listening!
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Now, go lead like someone you would want to follow!
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