“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” - Simon Sinek
This was my very first business card ... 41 years ago.
I still remember my mom looking at it and asking, “What exactly do you do? It doesn’t say.” And my dad saying, “Where’s your middle initial? (The H stands for Harold … after him.) I can’t help but laugh when I think about it now.
Truthfully, I’m not even sure what I was back then ... other than a gamble. No experience. A bit of a lost kid. A long shot, for sure. But I’m deeply grateful that others saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. And I’m grateful for their patience.
Over the years, the titles have changed. What I’ve learned is that titles don’t really matter ... except for how they expand our ability to serve more people and care about more people. Every new title has meant less about me and more about others. And that has been the greatest joy of all.
With each step forward, I’ve had to become stronger … better … more curious, more humble, more willing to admit mistakes, more comfortable with pain, more comfortable with change and more committed to growth. Leadership hasn’t been about climbing higher. It’s been about digging deeper.
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone who wants to climb up, it would be this: learn how to climb down.
Become stronger, become all you are capable of being and climb down to where you’re willing to carry the weight of the people who are counting on you. Climb down to where serving others matters more than being served. That’s where real leadership begins — and where the real rewards are found.
