Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
– Abraham Lincoln
In Readers Digest, a story is told about Mercedes Ruehl seeing her first Broadway show when she was in grade school. Her family was in New York visiting relatives and driving through Times Square. On the spur of the moment her parents decided to see if they could get tickets to The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Mercedes recalls waiting in the car while her mother ran up to the box office. “The only tickets left were box seats. Box seats! To me there were no better seats, and I remember my father saying, ‘Sure, go for it.’ One of the best qualities of my parents was that they liked to have fun.”
As the play began, Ruehl recalls, “I could not take my eyes off its star, Tammy Grimes. She must have felt my adoration, because at one point she looked up and held my eyes. It was probably for no more than one second, but it seemed like ten seconds. I always felt that was my official invitation to be an actress. With her gaze I was touched like a knight on both shoulders with a sword.”
When one thinks of life altering events that can shape the course of your destiny it does not necessarily have to be something on a grand scale. It can be as simple and powerful as a glance to a little girl during a play that can spark a passion and launch a career.
The influence you have as a leader, like the brief moment Grimes made eye contact with Ruehl, can be significant. So my question to you is simple. By your words, actions, and attitudes what type of invitations are you sending to your colleagues? Ken Blanchard said, “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” Here are three invitations every leader should send to his team and why they matter.
With your passion, invite others to discover their purpose. I am not sure if prior to seeing The Unsinkable Molly Brown if Mercedes Ruehl wanted to be an actress, but by the time it was over I get the feeling that she did. Leaders with a passion have a way of rubbing off on you.
Soccer great Mia Hamm said, “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” Passionate leaders exude confidence. They do so because they are fulfilling their purpose. When you invite others to discover their life purpose, you are inviting them to change their lives. Why does it matter? It matters because without passion or a purpose one will never meet their full potential.
With your success, invite others to a life of significance. By all rights, Tammy Grimes was a successful actress. Because of her unknowing influence, she helped launch a successful career. Ruehl is one of only a few actresses to win a Tony and an Oscar in the same year – for Lost in Yonkers and The Fisher King. The measure of your leadership will be found not in the way you hold people back but in the way you encourage and inspire them on to greatness.
Inspiring others to a life of significance is the ultimate demonstration of your success as a leader. As you invite others to live a life of significance, you are investing in the next generation and leaving a legacy worth following. Why does it matter? It matters because success paves the way to a life of significance. Success and significance gives way to meaningful succession.
With your confidence, invite others to lead with courage. When Tammy Grimes looked into the eyes of Mercedes Ruehl she touched her soul. That brief moment changed the course of her life. As a leader in your organization, people look to you every day. While they may not need your vote of confidence to be successful, your voice can give fuel to their dream.
As you empower others in leadership it can have profound effects that you may not immediately observe. But when you send out invitations to those around you to discover their purpose, to live a life of significance, they can lead with courage. Why does this matter? It matters because above all else this is the high calling of your leadership.
©2011 Doug Dickerson
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