“He was the best manager I ever had.”
“Why is that?”
“As a leader he cared about me. He treated me as an equal. He truly valued always doing the right thing. Plus his high standards pushed me to become better.”
What will your colleagues, coworkers, and friends, say about you? What will be your legacy and influence?
Today, I was in line at the store behind a man holding a dozen roses. When he got up to the cashier’s counter, he realized that the cashier looked sad. The man smiled and said, “I’m buying 11 of these roses for my wife.” And then he handed the cashier the 12th rose. She smiled from ear to ear.
Leadership and your legacy really come down to three vital components: 1.Who you are, 2. How you think, 3. What you value. True leadership is first concerned with who you are, who do you think you are, as opposed to what you do. The person who spoke about their boss shared who their boss was… a leader that cared. The man who gave a rose to the cashier was about focusing on others. Leadership action flows naturally from you. But first you must think you are a leader.
Many years ago a mentor said, “Act as if..”
Act as if you already earned that next promotion
Act as if you are the leader others respect.
Act as if…
He then gave me these 4 simple steps to follow to build a legacy.
- Believe in yourself- Stop saying disparaging words to yourself. Stop letting the naysayers enter your thoughts. The number one influencer in your life is YOU! As long as you can remember that you will achieve greater things.
- Begin today to act like the person you want to become. Anyone can become the person they want to become. It’s like my mom used to say if you want to be treated like adult start acting like one.
- Write down what you value-values influence behavior because people seek more of what they value. Our value becomes our character. Without it, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but he still won’t make a great leader.
- Do a 360 degree assessment- Ask three people you trust to give you candid feedback if someone was to ask them to describe you what would they say is good and what would they say are areas of opportunity.
Now, don’t get me wrong at first it may seem awkward giving someone a compliment. It may seem awkward not making it about you. It may seem awkward to listen vs. just talking. However, like most things what may seem awkward at first eventually become normal. Good or bad. All you have do is think about. What legacy are you leaving behind?
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” Shannon L. Alder
Equip, Educate, Empower, and Encourage others to become better leaders!
Tony Jalan
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