The Reason Leaders Pursue Excellence Will Change Your Life
It’s not about doing your best. It’s about doing your best for someone else.
Since reading, “High Performance Habits, by Brendon Burchard, I’ve been paying attention to the reasons leaders do what they do.
A cause to rise for:
Burchard wrote, “We need a noble cause to rise for. High performers tend to make that just one person. … You will do more for others than yourself.”
American Idol, soldiers, athletes, and religion:
We’re watching American Idol on TV. Contestants often say, “I’m doing this for my mom.” (Or some other loved one.)
High performance is about honoring others.
Soldiers risk life and limb for the persons to their left and right, not God and country. You certainly don’t throw yourself on a grenade because you want a medal.
Athletes give their best for the team.
Love is the engine of high performance.
Religion provides an illustration. Christians sacrifice for Jesus. Muslims honor Islam. Down through the ages, women and men have given their lives for something bigger than themselves.
Connection or disconnection:
Connection drives excellence.
Disconnection is permission to live for yourself.
Connection is motivation to serve.
Someone served you. It might be a coach, grandparent, or boss.
You need something bigger than yourself to fuel your resolve. One leader said, “I can’t disappoint the people who have given so much.” Another said, “I’m doing this for the young leaders on the team.”
When you live for yourself, you lean toward indulgence and arrogance. How might you best serve self? When you live for others, leadership is about humility, pursuit, and serving others.
Today is a good day to ask:
How are you serving something bigger than yourself?
Who has poured into your life? How might you honor them today?
How might you complete this sentence? “Any success I might achieve is done in honor of …. (Complete with a person’s name.)
Brilliant. Love is the engine of high performance. That sticks with me.
I was recently told a support team I worked with was working hard so that I, and the rest of our sales leaders, could look brilliant. They wanted us to succeed. In turn, we worked hard because they were brilliant. We wanted to pay them back for everything they were working hard to achieve.
We were all working hard for the men and women to the right and left of us.
Thanks Alf. Great seeing you. I hope you are well.
The word “reciprocity” comes to mind. When people work hard for each other work is energizing and meaningful.
A virtuous cycle might begin by asking, “How can we outdo our teammate’s service to us?” That kind of competition makes sense to me.
For this one: Who has poured into your life? How might you honor them today? Most notably my parents and my grandparents who raised me to believe in the goodness of this Country, to believe in hard work and who all believed in me. I honor them and my descendants before them and my immigrant family (wife from Taiwan, two adopted children from China (now adults)) by taking advantage of what the USA has allowed me to accomplish and give back. In spite of those that bad mouth this nation I stand up proudly because of all before me and around me.
Thanks Roger. Loved reading your story. It’s inspiring. Let’s face it…serving others helps give meaning to our lives. cheers
Excellent topic coming into Easter
Thanks Scott.
I’m on board with Roger, Dan and you as well.
Our parents, their parents, our children, our workers can all align of chose to un-align, the choices are out there.
I have chosen the path of my Elders to d o better for our children our friends and our workers, it’s a better genuine feeling when we help others. We “love what we do” becomes a way of life.
Great post today! As usual!
Thanks Tim. Love — We “love what we do” becomes a way of life. Cheers
I agree with all you’ve said, Dan. I’ll add that having a cause bigger than self is one side of the coin (and one many ignore) and the other side that is core to success and happiness is having our personal needs and desires met without guilt or shame. Of course, serving others can be a big part of our personal desires. I would say Disconnection is permission to live ONLY for yourself. We all live for self but if only for self, we will be miserable.
Thanks Alan. I see what you say. We don’t want martyrdom. 🙂 Glad you jumped in.
I have always seen myself as a Customer Service provider, no matter if it is an internal or external customer. In my current capacity, I primarily serve internal customers. It is a privilege to serve my peers to the left and right of me. I do my best so, they can do theirs. Ultimately, it impacts our external customers.
Thanks Frank. Very encouraging. They say if you take care of your people, your people will take care of your customers.
It’s so admirable see someone honor someone else in their place as I have also seen in competitions. The altruism behind this feeling can push others to do big and great things. Serving others is a pleasure and should be expected from leaders down to employees.
Awesome read! Ever since I was little I’ve always felt like a public servant, wanting to help people in any way possible. This is why I’m in a Public Health program. I want to contribute to the protection of people’s health. My grandmother and mentors have done so much to help guide me through some difficult time in that my life! I honor them every day by treating people with respect and trying to help those in need.
Any success I might achieve is done in honor of my grandmother, Jimmie Lee.
There is some truth in what you say, Dan, about motivation. I would be careful though throwing ideas around about surfacing oneself, especially in the name of Jesus. Jesus never wanted anyone to sacrifice themself for him. The church created this big lie in order to control and manipulate. It certainly never applied this concept to itself. Martyrdom is aimed to manipulate in a very perverted way. First and foremost, we have to say big “YES!” to life for ourselves. That way we create the most powerful positive impact on others which is known as “inspiration”. Leaders create and hold a compelling vision coming from their own fulfillment.