On Yourself: Leadership: Success - and Significance
By Jack Mixner
I sat recently with an old friend of mine, David Gentry.
Over the last ten years we have talked repeatedly about a crucial planning topic, the continuum we all follow from success to significance. David always has an inspirational - and new - way of looking at it.
David came prepared with clippings, speech handouts - all sorts of stuff. And a book.
Lawler Kang is a family friend of the Gentry's. He presents a model on personal growth based upon five questions (page 69):
- What is your mission? Passion
- What can the whole and impassioned you be the best at? Proficiencies
- What is the most important to you, where you are in Life? Priorities
- How do you bring yourself to market? Plan
- How do you fund your plan? Prove
The message: we all have a passion. Why waste time doing anything but acting upon it?
Strategic Implication
Success is the first step.
Significance is the last.
In between are lots of places to lose traction. Keeping your eye on the ultimate goal for you - and your company - and working at it passionately makes for a more successful - and significant - life.
Reference
Kang, Lawler. Passion at Work. Pearson Education Inc./Printice Hall. 2006.