Will People Be Glad You Were There?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn! This – this day! – is such a great gift!!! My sincere hope and prayer for each one of us is that we will CHOOSE to live it fully! 😊

I have just completed reading what I believe is now my favorite book I have ever read. It is titled, The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership, and it was written by James C. Hunter. I would encourage anyone reading these words to get this book – read it, study it, and apply it. And never forget, it is not our intentions but what we do that makes a difference! 😊

I had one of those moments. You know, one of those moments where I read something so good, so powerful, I just had to share it with those I care about most. I read them to my family, to my work family, and now I feel convicted to share them with you. The excerpt I am going to share comes from the Introduction to the 2012 Edition and begins on page xvii. It states:

“Great organizations are a group of all leaders, where everyone is taking personal responsibility for the success of the team and their individual influence on the customer and one another. A group of all leaders, each with different responsibilities. A place where everyone is engaged and fully committed – not 50/50 but 100/100. (Anyone who ever said marriage was 50/50 probably wasn’t married very long.)

In the great organizations I visit, they no longer ask, “Who’s the leader here?” That’s an ancient, twentieth-century question. The question is no longer “Are you a leader?” but rather “Are you effective?”

Indeed, the final test of leadership is: Do you leave things better than you found them? Will your employees get promoted, have a better career, even have a better life because they spent a few seasons with you? Have they learned and grown as a result of your influence? Will your children be ready when they leave your home? Will they be effective parents, neighbors, coaches, spouses, and teachers – have you done your job, Dad? How about you, Mom?

Leadership is influence – the mark we leave on other people and the mark we leave on the organizations we involve ourselves with.

We all leave a mark.

The real question is: Will people be glad you were there?”

I have nothing of value to add and so I will simply end with this:

We all leave a mark in all aspects of our lives – our spouses/partners, children, friends, places of business, places of worship, places of recreation…with any person or in any place we spend meaningful time. Will they have a better life because they spent a few seasons with us? Will they be glad we were there?

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can contact me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, and please cherish your precious family!

Kev