Leadership is about relationships — the people whom we inspire and those who have inspired us. Who have been your mentors? Who has helped you along the way? I believe we must from time to time stop and acknowledge those who have assisted on our journey through life.
Most people start with their parents and move on to their teachers. My parents gave me a start by paying for my college education. I was the first in either my mother's or father's family to graduate from college. So I have much to be thankful for. And my teachers have been numerous, whether in the classroom or in books or in day-to-day living. And don't forget your children and grandchildren. They teach us parents so much. They help us to return to the passion of our youth.
How about the person who hired you into your current job? He or she saw something in you that others did not. Most of us have had job interviews where we did not get the job. How about the person who hired you into that most important first job in your career? The person who hired me into my first job in health care was a man named Wes Faulkner. He saw something in me that others did not. He taught me much about creativity, writing and corporate politics.
I could list hundreds of people who have touched my life from beggars whom I gave a handout to the Presidents of companies. None of us live in a vacuum. Think about your neighbors. The person who mowed your yard when you were sick. The minister who married you. The banker who loaned you money.
We have so much to be thankful for. Yet, how easily we forget and feel we have nothing — that we have not been as successful as we wanted. We need to develop an attitude of gratitude — to give thanks each and every today.
Saying thanks, though, is not enough. We need to give back. We need to mentor others. We need to inspire and motivate the people in our lives — the people we manage as well as members of our family and neighborhood.
Who are you mentoring this week? Who are you inspiring to learn more and achieve more?
This week focus on the words of John Quincy Adams:
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, you are a leader."
