“Everybody wins when a leader gets better.”
This compelling declaration came from Bill Hybels in the first few minutes of his opening remarks at the 2017 Global Leadership Summit, and I got ten times the value of my investment with that simple, yet powerful thought.
For the last 30 years, the reason I have gotten out of bed each day is because I believe everyone wins when a leader gets better. It is not about arriving at one place of perfection and being satisfied with the accomplishment, nor is it about holding up a trophy and celebrating the crowning achievement. Rather, it’s about choosing to get better every single day. It is a continuous leadership journey that will only end on your last day here on Earth.
One might think if you improve or win, the focus is on you and not others. Ah, the fascination of servant leadership. The reality is that as I get better, everyone wins. The reason I want to improve is so everyone else wins. The purpose of self-improvement is to be more useful and helpful to others. Servant leaders choose to put on their servant lenses and see the world from others’ perspectives rather than their own. This concept is easy to understand and agree with, yet very challenging to do. Send me a note and let me know how you have been doing in the last few hours.
Some good news to help you with your servant leadership journey — I have been told my book is at the printer and is scheduled to be released in the next week. Stay tuned!
Dale Carnegie thought for the week: “Create happiness for others.”
Onward!