How A Brain Tumor Made This CEO A Better Leader

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"What is the one moment or experience that most impacted who you are as a leader?"

This was the question I asked over 140 of the world's top CEOs when I interviewed them for my latest book, The Future Leader.

I received a lot of interesting responses and stories but none hit me as hard as the one that Sheryl Palmer told me.

Sheryl is the CEO of a company called Taylor Morrison, which is a home builder in the United States with over 2,500 employees. Like many leaders around the world, Sheryl was always running around being busy, fighting fires, going to meetings, and just trying to get as much done as she could.

Then she got the diagnosis...

Sheryl had a life-threatening brain tumor and needed surgery to remove it.

Before going into surgery Sheryl wrote two letters to her team: one telling them she would see them when she returned healthy in six weeks, and another asking them to make her proud and continue the work they had started, this is the letter her team would receive if she didn't make it out of surgery. 

The day before her intensive surgery, Sheryl was working with the chairman of the board to finalize a big deal for Taylor Morrison, it was the potential sale of a business unit which would have impacted many of her employees. She wanted to have peace of mind knowing that her team was in good hands.

Leadership is changing. What are the skills and mindsets you need to master in order to lead in the new world of work? According to over 140 of the world's top CEOs there are 4 mindsets and 5 skills that leaders need to master. Learn what they are and hear directly from these leaders by downloading the PDF below.

It could have been Sheryl’s last day on earth, and she spent time making sure her team was in the right place to succeed and take care of their people. That’s true leadership.

I asked Sheryl how this experience changed her as a leader and as a person, here's what she told me...

 â€œAlthough I always believed I lived life to the fullest and looked for the good in each person and situation, going through this made me realize how precious each life encounter really is. It made me a better leader because I was able to appreciate how important every interaction is, and not to take anything or anyone for granted. Many leaders go through their days fighting fires and not appreciating the golden rule of business: people work for people, not companies. A leader’s responsibility is to set the vision and not allow the business just to happen, but rather make relationships and interactions intentional, meaningful, and purposeful. Some may consider it really hard work, but being a leader is a choice, and if you decide that is who you really are, there is no middle ground - it's all-consuming, not two parallel paths. Being a leader can't just be when you show up to the office. It's your natural passion and an eerie intersection in all parts of our lives. But when you really do it, it's the most rewarding life journey in the world."

I still get goosebumps when I share this story with others but I also get the feeling of enormous hope, knowing that there are leaders like Sheryl out there who are looking after others. It's no coincidence that Sheryl and her company have received numerous awards.

I wanted to share this story with you in the hopes that it can inspire and motivate you to become an even better leader, one who takes care of their people and does everything in their power to make sure that they are safe and in a position to succeed.

But I also want to hear from you, do you have any stories of leadership you can share with me? Something either historical or something that you have experienced or heard about? I'd love to share more of these stories with all of you!

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If you enjoyed the article and want more content like this here’s what you can do:

1. Subscribe to The Future of Work Podcast where I interview business leaders around the world each week. 

2. Grab a copy of The Future Leader which has been endorsed by the CEOs of MasterCard, Best Buy, Oracle, Audi, Unilever, Domino’s Pizza, Ritz Carlton, Kaiser, and Marshall Goldsmith. It explores the most essential skills and mindsets for future leaders.

3. If you are or want to be an entrepreneur then my wife and I just launched a brand new podcast on how to Be Your Own Boss, called the BYOB Podcast where we share what we did and how we did it. You can subscribe to that here.