Last updated on 8/3/2024
More “weekend wisdom”. A thought to lead off a new week, which should generate some insightful, possibly controversial, conversation.
My challenge with the quote below is with the emotional appeal involved in the statement.
“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” – John Maxwell
I write this because my time in uniform informed me differently. Often, it wasn’t because I had great leadership that I bought into the vision.
Heck, I had more crappy leaders than good or great leaders! I still bought into the vision of what the Navy could be with my involvement.
Case in point, one of my proudest moments in uniform was Operation UNIFIED RESPONSE. It was the humanitarian mission to assist Haiti after the earthquake in 2010.
Alleviating human suffering, to an extent, was why I chose to serve nearly 25 years in uniform. Seeing how the military could be deployed as a force for good continues to inspire me today.
Maybe I’m naive, or perhaps I’m jaded, you can decide for yourself.
Having good or great leaders is important. Does it have to be the “make or break” factor for buying into the company vision?
I don’t know. What do you think?
Here’s a bit of “weekend wisdom”.
I lost confidence in my ability to create value and achieve desired outcomes when I was in career transition between 2018 and mid-2019.
Climbing up the corporate ladders was not for me. Alternatively, trying to move back to an individual contributor role felt nearly impossible.
Improving offered to bring me on as a consultant when IBM offered me a program management position.
We were in financial distress and I chose the “safe” option. Maybe it was the better path, perhaps it wasn’t, I’ll never know for sure.
As an Improver, now, I can look back and say I got to the company as quick as I could.
“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.” – James A. Michener
I’ve been between jobs and attempts to pivot my career on three or four occasions. It took character to get up, dust off, and pursue viable leads.
Family is a powerful motivator for me. Our daughters have seen how hard I work, even when I’m looking for better, more fulfilling work.
Learning to treat myself as a valuable, capable person was a key to being able to move into consulting from corporate experience.
Embracing new experiences and asking directly for assistance has been frightening and freeing.
Experimenting to discover what might work runs counter to my temperament to analyze, plan, and execute.
If it weren’t for my colleagues at Improving, I wouldn’t be able to share how I’ve been transformed by being an Improver.
It’s been over 3 years since I became an Improver. Here’s to many more years and more stories to share.
How might you help someone in the new week?
If I may, I’d like to offer the following suggestions:
💡 Just listen to someone who needs to be heard.
💡 Invite someone to grab a drink or a meal and just hang out.
💡 Write someone an inspirational note or a “Thank You” message.
💡 Offer to assist someone with a task, no matter how small.
💡 Extend a courtesy to a person you are not familiar with.
No matter what you choose, helping someone can help make our world a better place for everyone.
