True Leadership Lifts Others to Greatness

I've been very contemplative lately and have felt the need to share the following:

I recently read the?book "The 5 AM Club." As a natural early riser (4:30 AM, yes, I'm a bit crazy), I was curious to see what wisdom I could glean from its pages. While there were many great ideas on incremental self improvement, the thing that most struck me when reading it was the message about sharing your success, what you've learned, as well as your time, to lift others. This message has stuck with me and is something I continue to reflect upon often.?

It's caused me to think back on the great leaders that I've had the chance to learn from, there are far too many to list, as well as those who took a chance on me early,?and late, in my career. It's my hope that I lived up to their trust and confidence placed in me and that I added to their success. Through their patience, tutelage?and example, I've been able to find tremendous success throughout my career and have had many doors open for me. I hope you all know who you are.

I also think of those that I've had the chance to lead and wonder if I was able to instill in them a desire and the ability to become better. Was I able to lift them in a way that allowed?them to maximize their potential? I've always looked on leadership as a duty to serve and I've tried my best to always serve those within my scope of influence. To those that I've led, I hope you know that I tried my best to be of service to you and to lift you up.

I often hear stories of managers and executives who rule with an iron fist; who threaten rather than encourage, who berate rather than empathize and teach. This is the antithesis of great leadership and those people will never instill in those under them the desire to become truly great in a way that will lift the organization to greatness.?Greatness, once again, only come in elevating others to greater heights.

As I enter the last phase of my career I'm looking forward to continuing to nurture talent; to instill in others the desire to become the best versions of themselves and to mentor the next set of great leaders. I've taken enough, it's time to give back.

I recently wrote in a daily journal that "I will rise only as high as I am able to lift those around me." I followed that up with "whose life have I elevated today?" and I've committed to making this my priority: Lift to be lifted.