From time to time, Kara and I will receive a compliment from a teacher, a coach, or a friend about the behavior of one of our five children. After we receive the compliment, the response is almost always the same.
“Thank you. We really appreciate you noticing that. It takes a village to raise these kids right.”
There is so much truth to this statement.
As we grow as a business and organization, I’m realizing that this truth is very relevant in the workplace as well.
So what does “It takes a village” really mean?
For Kara and me, in the context of raising our children, it means that we cannot grow our kids like they need and deserve to be grown, and do it alone. We need dozens and dozens of other amazing people who have touch points with our children to influence them. What are some examples of that?
- It’s my friend Jeremy speaking up to Jack if he hears him using vulgar language.
- It’s CJ’s Coach pulling him aside and trying to lift his spirits after CJ made a bad play and is down on himself.
- It’s Olivia’s college professor realizing that she’s struggling with a concept and reaching out to her to help.
No matter the situation, Kara and I cannot do it alone. We cannot accomplish our goal of “raising great adults” without a village of others and their help and support.
How does this translate at work?
We all have the capacity to be leaders. We all have the capacity to create positive influence with others.
Leadership is a mindset. You do not need a title or a badge to act as a leader. There is so much opportunity to create influence with others. To see someone struggling and step in. To go to someone and help them, serve them, all with the ultimate goal of growing others.
Are you taking the opportunity?
What if you did?
What if you saw someone struggling and you ACTED on it?What if you stepped in to help train someone after noticing they are doing something incorrect?
What if you pulled someone aside after overhearing them say something to a patient that you know isnt the right thing to say?
What if you cared enough to put yourself out there and GROW someone? SERVE someone? Collapse time for someone? Be a lighthouse for someone?
You may be thinking to yourself . . .“That sounds like a lot of work Jason . . .Why would we do that?
When studying the greatest servant leaders in history, leaders like Jesus, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa, we often find them speaking about the great joy they derive from serving others. These leaders, and a host of other servant leaders throughout history, realized that the compensation for serving others: Joy and Fulfillment, far outweighed the difficult work of extending ourselves to serve.
- If you are not sure what to do . . . SERVE
- If you see an opportunity to help someone . . . SERVE
- If you are feeling down . . . SERVE
- If you are looking for joy and contentment . . . SERVE
Leadership is love. Its acting a certain way towards people around you all in an attempt to grow them to become the best versions of themselves.
One great example of this is an interview from decades ago between Christopher Reeves and Larry King. For those that are a bit younger, Reeves was a famous actor and played the Superman character in movies in the 1980’s. He suffered a horrible accident when riding a horse and was paralyzed from the neck down. Larry King was one of the most popular and talented interviewers of all time.
The following dialogue between great CNN interviewer Larry King and Christopher & Dana Reeve says all you need to know about the joy and fulfillment that come from serving others. This interview was years after Reeve’s accident
Larry King: “Aren’t there days when you get down?”
Dana Reeve: “When we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, the first thing we try to do is reach out to help someone else. And it’s amazing how you can start feeling better because of that.”
Christopher Reeve: “Take action. Help someone. Get the attention off yourself. That’s number one.”
