You always have a choice. A choice to give rather than take. A choice to stand up rather than walking away. A choice to make a difference. A choice to make an impact.
Great businesses do not create themselves. People who care enough to make the difficult choice of service above self and company needs above personal advancement build great companies. People willing to invest time, energy, money and risk their reputation to improve their business for everyone that depends on its success.
True Leadership
I’ve been teaching leadership for nearly 30 years. Here is my definition of leadership.
“A leader is someone who tries to set a living example of what they hope their followers will one day become.”
True leaders are a living example of the passion, values, and actions they want to see in their organization. They make choices that show they are deeply committed to their people. Leaders have a vision for where they want to take their business combined with the conviction, grit, and persistence to stay focused on that vision for years or decades. Furthermore, they also have something very unique, the audacity to believe they can achieve that vision.
It is important to remember that they are no different from you and me, except by the choices they have made. Everyone has the opportunity to make an impact if they are willing to commit. Be it big or small, we all can make a positive difference in the success of our organization and the lives of others. You simply have to make a choice.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead
So I ask you:
- What are you passionate about?
- Specifically, what do you love about the company that you want to protect, promote and support?
- What do you think is broken and needs fixing?
- How can you support the vision, mission, values, and purpose of your company?
- What skills, abilities, ideas, and energy can you bring to a problem or opportunity in your company?
- What can you do NOW to make a positive difference?
You are the person that can bring a new idea or make a connection that forever alters the course of your business, who can touch someone’s life and give them hope. You are the person that might start a new program or project that makes your employees’ lives better. Therefore, you are the person who can change everything. Remember that everyone has at one time been an ordinary citizen who made an extraordinary decision to do something meaningful, something big, something way out of their comfort zone, something that they believed had to be done. So I challenge you to make a bold choice, find a place where you want to make an impact, and throw yourself at it with passion, love, and determination. Yes, your company will be better for it, but so will you.
“If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”
– Rabbi Hillel.