The True Path to Greatness that Anyone Can Begin Today
Great musicians serve music. Great spouses serve each other. Great leaders serve a noble purpose.
Your greatness reveals itself as you serve.
The path to greatness:
#1. Experience greatness:
“To be great – you must experience great – then you can be great.” Stan Endicott
If you want to be a great dancer, experience great dancing. If you want to be a great musician, experience great music. If you want to be a great leader, experience servant-leadership.
Choose your models carefully. Models ignite ambition. Don’t admire successful jerk-holes lest you become one.
#2. Reach outside yourself:
Selfish people can succeed. But you must serve something bigger than yourself to be great.
A leader who serves an evil cause might be skillful, but they’re not great.
Serving something noble contributes to greatness.
#2. Provide value:
“Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.” Bob Burg
In youth we serve ourselves. In adolescence we serve to receive. In maturity we serve to bring value to others.
The essences of greatness is bringing value to others.
#3. Know yourself:
The more you serve, the more you understand yourself. You learn what brings joy to you and contributes to others at the same time.
Service is the path to self-knowledge.
You discover yourself when you engage and connect, not in isolation.
Committing to serve drives out the self-deceptions of isolation.
#4. Have confidence:
Confidence springs from self-knowledge. Great leadership begins when you appreciate your unique ability to serve the interest of others.
You’re less than you could be unless you confidently serve something bigger than yourself.
Your confident self emerges as you serve.
How do you define greatness?
What aspects of the path to greatness seem most relevant to you today?
I love this thought provoking list!
So many solid thoughts here Dan! Being truly great and giving to/serving others are inextricably connected in my mind.
If you want to feel greatly valued BY others, the key is giving OF yourself to them.
When the focus of value shifts from me to them, great things start to happen, and when you lose yourself (in a positive sense) in adding value to others, it comes back 100 fold.
Thanks for the encouragement this morning!
Dan
While I was deeply involved in my work as a CFO it was hard enough to just be a leader, yet alone the true servant leader I sought to be. What I did find time to do was to mentor people and not just my direct reports but other junior people. The time I spent mentoring was often the most fun and rewarding part of a day.
Now that I am retired, I still spent time advising and networking with younger people and often learn new aspects of technology and business from them! I also have more time to assist on family issues and to serve on not for profit Boards. I also try to encourage others to learn to serve before they can really lead.
Brad
The idea that success and greatness are not synonymous really resonates with me today. I have known people who thought themselves successful because they had this title or were making that much money, people who I didn’t consider successful. It turns out, we had different definitions of success. Mine included greatness, the concept of serving others as a leader rather than demanding they follow you. Thanks for the clarity.
Maybe true greatness can only be seen looking back. That part of our legacy that made an indelible mark on others. When viewed in retrospect has the distinct hue of greatness. Something transcendent, that leave us with the vague feeling of “I would like to be like that”. In this way greatness is never a trap and will always out live us.
As usual Dan – awesome sauce 👍
Outstanding Dan! You continue to
“Inspire” us all!🤣👍🏾
Thank you Vincent.