The True Essence of Leadership

I’m 2/3 of the way through Steve Farber’s new book, Greater Than Yourself, and I have to say that he’s nailed it again! Whether you are familiar with Steve’s business fables or not, I would recommend getting all three of his books. His first two (The Radical Leap and The Radical Edge) take you an amazing trip of how to become an Extreme Leader. His current book (GTY), displays the true essence of leadership: Mentoring and teaching others to ensure that they become more successful than you. Isn’t that what we’re here for? To see our loved ones (both personally and professionally) succeed to a point above and beyond our own success?

Steve has laid out a perfect plan to mentoring and has challenged every reader to partake in their own “Greater Than Yourself” project. If you don’t go out and get the book, I’d ask that you at least check out Steve’s website to learn more about this great challenge.

Have a Great Week!

note: picture courtesy of greaterthanyourself.com

Take The Quiet Road

The Story

I’ve been driving my daughters to their care sitter most mornings lately, finally gaining an understanding and appreciation for what my wife has done for nearly 4 years. My 4 year old, who has developed a certain morning routine, asks me every day whether I’ll be taking the “noisy” road or the “quiet” road. She has come to the conclusion that the interstate is a noisy road, where the route through town is the quiet road. In fact, she has come to prefer one route over the other. Can you guess which one?

The other week I was running a bit late, and announced my decision to take the “noisy” road because it was a slightly faster route. My daughter immediately spoke up and stated “I don’t hike (her mispronunciation of “like”) the noisy road, daddy!” I explained that we were running late and we needed to take it. While I was giving my explanation, I inadvertently drove right on past the on ramp, to which my daughter enthusiastically laughed and proclaimed “Daddy, you missed the noisy road!” My daughter got her wish in the end: Driving on the quiet road.

The Take Home
Besides being a cute story about my wonderful daughter, what does this have to do with anything? Well, I got to thinking about the noisy road and the quiet road, and realized that there is a lot of parallel between why my daughter prefers the quiet road, and life in general. Think about it a minute. My daughter enjoys the quiet road because she can sit back in peace and enjoy the slower ride while gazing out the window at the beautiful surroundings. She can think. The noisy road, on the other hand, is hectic. The view is of a cement barricade and a grassy hill speeding by the window at an extreme pace that the eyes don’t want to keep up with. It’s overwhelming to a toddler/preschooler. Heck, it can be overwhelming for the adult driver as well.

So, let’s think about our adult lives. Which road would you rather be on? I’m sure if you are like me, most of you are on the superhighway, going fast, staying busy, and becoming overwhelmed. In fact, I’m sure you’re thriving on it. I know that’s where I’ve been for the last several months (since my last post in October of 2008). That’s the world we live in these days. If we’re not busy, then we’re lazy! Well, I’d like to drop kick that thought off the field. I’d challenge each and every one of you to take a step back; to take the next exit off I-80/35 and find yourself a “quiet” rode, where you can slow down, find peace, and enjoy your surroundings! We all need to be lazy at some point just so we can recover from our normal pace!

Have a great week!