“You
are already a success, but do you matter?” This is the question marketing guru
and author Seth Godin asked at a recent John Maxwell Team certification
training I attended in Orlando, FL. This is the same question I have
been thinking out loud about (and struggling inside) ever since!!
The
question parallels a progression that leadership expert John Maxwell proposes.
Essentially, when we start out in our careers, we are focused on SURVIVAL. Let
me provide an example. While spending a great weekend with friends who were all
college recruiters in early in our careers, we were discussing grown up things
like retirement plans, career trajectory, etc. All of a sudden one of us
blurted out “Gees, just a few years ago, we were worried about where our next
beer was coming from!!” Clearly a great illustration of Survival!
Next,
according to John, we achieve SUCCESS. We grow in our careers and move up to
larger roles and responsibilities. The problem is, however, that too many of us
just stop there. To MATTER in life, we need to move beyond simple
accomplishment. We need to step up to SIGNIFICANCE! In other words, we need to
work toward
something that we will never see completed or a modern-day Pyramid Project as John
puts it. Some effort or some enterprise that is NOT for ourselves, that is
BIGGER than ourselves, that will OUT LAST ourselves to BENEFIT a new
generation.
So how
do we do this? How do we insure that we MATTER? Obviously since I just spent
last week being poured into by John Maxwell himself, I will pull from one of
his latest and greatest books, Intentional Living. In order
to achieve significance in our lives we need to do four things that are easy to
write about but hard to practice. Intentional Living is
organized by these 4 principles:
WANT to Make a Difference –
first we just need to have the desire to look beyond ourselves and attempt
something that will last long after us. Now this seems simple but too many
leaders focus so much on their success that they forget to consider what’s it
all for? Do YOU want to make a difference?
DOING Something that Makes a Difference –
just wanting to talking about making a difference is not sufficient. We have to
bridge the gap between KNOWING and DOING! We need to activate our desire with action.
What is it you want to DO? I bet many of you already engage in worthy works. I
know friends and former students that organize food pantries, assist with
refugee resettlement, work in animal advocacy, etc. and I am so proud and
amazed at their efforts. They took thoughts and created a reality that is
benefiting so many! What do you want to DO?
With OTHERS that want to Make a Difference – I
often say that no one does anything great alone. To achieve and provide
significance, you must “enroll” others as Seth encourages. We need to find
other like-minded individuals that care about what we care about and want to
work alongside you to make something better! The best way to do this is just
start sharing your passion. Talk about it, post about it, Instagram about it,
etc. whatever it takes to bring attention to what you care about it. Such
passion will be contagious. In the words of theologian John Wesley, “Get on
fire and the world will come watch you burn!” Who can help you create
significance?
At a TIME that Makes a Difference – you
have often heard that timing is everything. The same is true for attempting to
do anything significant. Has someone else already addressed what you are
passionate about? Are others ready to join you? Do you have the resources
and/or capacities to start (notice I did not say finish . . . just start!).
Timing is always tricky but don’t let that be a barrier to starting.
The
point is this, if you want to achieve significance, you must find your platform. Mine is providing lessons for now that produce
leaders for life! What is yours? I know you have one, you just need to
want to make a difference by doing something that makes a difference with
others that want to make a difference at a time that makes a difference!
For more information
about Seth Godin and is blog and continuing education opportunities visit: www.sethgodin.com . Also, if this blog was
of value to you, please share it with others! It is my passion to help you get
better so that you can help others do so too!
As always if I can help you and the
people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would
invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the
training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! In fact, I am
launching a new SPEAK FOR IMPACT
training program that will help both novice and experienced leaders find their platform and increase
their communication skills! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud
Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will
send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your
organization! Such an initiative would be critical to add value to your
organization!
Yours in Leadership (and
still walking both roads!),
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant –
Out Loud Strategies
Independent Coach,
Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
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