Who is the most important person in your organization? I don’t know. But it probably isn’t you.
It’s a small universe if you are its center.
You become bigger when you give yourself to something bigger.
Others Make You Matter
Leadership requires others.
A leader is a person with followers. Leadership only exists in relationship.
The way you view others determines the nature of your leadership.
Enough Ego
Healthy ego seeks significance through service. David Letterman, referring to his service to Habitat for Humanity, put it this way,
“When you help others, you feel better about yourself.”
Leaders who live for themselves live small disappointing lives.
Something Bigger
Barack Obama spoke the following words at Senator John McCain’s memorial service.
“By his own account, John was a rebellious young man. In his case, that’s understandable, what faster way to distinguish yourself when you’re the son and grandson of admirals than to mutiny. Eventually, though, he concluded that the only way to really make his mark on the world is to commit to something bigger than yourself.” (September 1, 2018.)
You aren’t the center when you live for something bigger than yourself.
5 Practices
- Put your team at the center of your focus for one day.
- Get excited about things others are doing.
- Talk less about yourself. Brag more about others.
- Stand up for your convictions with grace. Putting others at the center isn’t being a pushover.
- Determine if your actions matter. “Will this matter next week, next month, next year?”
Reflection: Habitual criticism reveals a big ego.
How does leadership change when service takes the center?
6 Reasons Egotistical Leaders are Exhausted
