Leaders Are Responsible
Hey team. It is a beautiful Wednesday and is Workshop Wednesday. That’s right, that’s what we do here. So I want to read to you real quick a quote I came across from John D Rockefeller Jr.
I was reading John Maxwell and he quoted him. And I don’t want to get this wrong so I’m going to read this to you. “I believe that every right implies a responsibility. Every opportunity and obligation and every possession a duty.”
John Maxwell says, “In a world of perks and privileges that accompany the climb to success, little thought is given to the responsibilities of the upward journey.”
That got me thinking. It got me really thinking about not just our leadership here. And the journey that I’ve been on in leadership and stuff but the journey that our company is on.
Every right does have a responsibility.
We hear her about servant leadership and not the perk, not the privilege. Obviously, salaries go up and there are certain benefits to being a leader. I think if you talk to any leader here or if you get close to any leader here. You will see the mountain of man-hours that they put in and the dedication and duty behind the scenes. That they do to accomplish what they accomplished. In order for success to happen and they can give you the best opportunity.
I talk in our leadership class that we have. I will often explain that for every couple of hours of class time that they spend, I will spend eight to ten hours researching and working on that class session. So I spend literally five times the amount of time that they spend in the classroom. And then they spend a couple of hours on homework and I spend another 10-plus hours on the next lesson.
It’s important for us to recognize our leaders here.
They put in a lot of effort. So if you see them with a cup of coffee in their hand that’s just to keep them going. It’s not because it’s just a privilege that they don’t do any work. There’s a lot of work that goes in here to the leadership. My hat is off to the leaders we have. In my 30-plus years of running teams, both in the military and everywhere else, you have some of the best leaders imaginable. You really have some of the best leaders you could ever hope or dream to have around you. Count that blessing because if you’ve lived more than a few minutes you have experienced some pretty bad leadership.
Do we always get it right? No, I am wrong still sometimes. I make mistakes. Karen makes mistakes. We all make mistakes, including you.
It is our humility, our investment, our resolve, our transparency, those things. Our desire to be valuable because nothing less will do. And the fact that we like to eat cake together because we celebrate like a family. It is these things and our overriding mission of keeping communities safe and secure. It is those things that drive us to spend the time. Those things that drive us to go the extra mile for success.
Success not just for ourselves but success for the entire team and the communities we serve.
And so for that, I want to say God bless you to each and every one of our leaders here. Thank you for your hard work and your dedication. Thank you for putting in and burning that midnight oil. Like I am burning some of that midnight oil super early this morning. Why? Because I care. I put in the extra time reading, studying, learning, growing, and praying. Because I want to be better than I was yesterday. And that’s all we could ever hope for is to improve inch by inch. That’s how we get to a mile.
So until next week, remember we all need to be valuable because nothing less will do. I want you to know that I’m praying for you and God bless each and every one of you. I look forward to seeing you again next week.