Only a life lived for others is a
life worthwhile – Albert
Einstein
In a column
for Success magazine (http://bit.ly/ZeyOzV) , John Maxwell shares a story about
a picture of his son taken with Mother Teresa. Maxwell had sent him to India
for a month so he could see the world as it was, not how he thought it was. His
son worked in food lines in Kolkata for several weeks and then traveled the
country by train in coach class. At the conclusion of the trip he had a brief
audience with Mother Teresa.
Maxwell says
the photo serves as a reminder to see the world from multiple perspectives,
make decisions with empathy, appreciate what you have and work to better the
lives of people who don’t have as much. As a leader you have a worldview that
merits consideration. It reflects the beliefs you have and influences the
decisions you make. In the run up to 2013 here are three ways to look at life
and leading through the lens of leadership.
1. See the big picture. Leaders see and promote the
big picture. “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are
to where they have not been,” said Henry Kissinger. Getting your people to a place where they have
never been begins by painting the picture and then by charting the course. If you want to impart confidence with your
team then you should regularly put forth the vision of where you are going and
why others want to follow.
2. Lead with a generous
heart. The competency and reach of your leadership is
not merely defined by your bottom line but by a generous heart. Generosity of
heart is a leadership quality that demonstrates that you are not just concerned
about what is good for you but how you can make life better for others. When you look at leadership through the lens
of the heart you will see things your mind never envisioned and your team will
perform at levels they never imagined. When you discover the joy of serving
others you have found the secret to your success as a leader.
3. Serve great causes. Leading with a generous
heart makes an impact internally within your organization. By this example you
are sowing the seeds of what you can do externally. Business Insider http://read.bi/O2g1jR reported on the top 15
charitable companies as reported by The
Chronicle of Philanthropy. Topping the list for the past year were Pfizer,
Oracle, Merck, Google, and Wal-Mart. Each of these companies ‘charitable
contributions topped a billion dollars.
Your
company may not be in a position to give a billion dollars but creating a
culture of serving within your organization begins with a leader with a
servant’s heart. Make it your practice
as a leader never to miss an opportunity to help someone in their moment of
struggle and lift others to a higher level. As you look back on the year that was take time to consider how you can make 2013 even better. It
starts with what you see, what you feel, and how you respond.
Happy New Year!
©
2012 Doug Dickerson
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