Is it satisfying to see an employee learn from you and then use that knowledge to build a successful career of his or her own, or does it feel unfair?
“It’s not difficult to make a buck.” Making an impact is far more difficult.” Tom Brokaw
After all, wasn’t it your expertise, your sweat, and your time that helped them get to the point where they understood enough to create the new found success?
“You can’t take anyone else any further than you’ve gone.” Mauch, Gene
It simply doesn’t seem right, doesn’t it?
“It’s never crowded on the extra mile .” – Unknown Author
What if you hired a revolving door of staff on a semi-regular basis? Would that alter your viewpoint?
Have I lost you? Let me see if I clear this up.
In my opinion, success in life may have less to do with how much money you make and more to do with what you do for others. It’s more about lifting someone up than it is about putting them down.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
When you reach a high level in business, you have two options: you can either help someone from the bottom rise to the top and encourage them to do so, or you may strive to make those below you subject to your demands. Always be sure that the person you choose to assist you is interested in climbing.
“There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb himself.” – Andrew Carnegie
Surround yourself with team members who are eager to walk with you up the ladder of success and empower them as they want to strive for their best – or discover their own ladder. When you engage in their success you both win.
When everyone wants to be served but no one wants to serve, society and business’s collapse, or, as one children’s program put it, “when everyone hides and no one seeks, it’s no longer the fun game you thought it was.” When business people realize they have a platform to help the next generation by serving as mentors, their attitude and purpose may take on a whole new meaning.
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
How are you using your position to improve the future? What success stories do you have of team members who have gone on to outperform their mentor? How do you feel about that? Were you the one that outperformed your mentor? Have you expressed your gratitude to them?
Be a Catalyst.
Catalyst Consulting 