Significance

I recently asked a group of colleagues to name individuals whom they admired as leaders and received a list of some of the most well-accomplished people in business, sports and the entertainment industry. Donald Trump, Tom Brady and George Lucas emerged as the most popular choices. Contrast this with the responses I received when I asked a few children the exact same question. They were quick to point out their teachers, grandparents, parents, siblings, coaches and friends as their most-admired leaders.

As adults, it is easy to draw a line from A to B and solely define leaders as those CEO’s who command enormous salaries, or those athletes who continue to break records. But the truth of the matter is that children see leadership in its purest form – significance. They are not necessarily inspired by material possessions or fame. Instead, they see leaders as people who have influenced their lives. They are encouraged by the people around them who teach them math, play soccer in the backyard, or catch bugs with them.

There is a very valuable lesson to be learned here. If you want to be an effective leader in your business or personal life, make sure that you seek to be significant in the lives of others. Spend time developing your employees and invest time in your family. In 25 years, people may not remember the CEO that turned a technology company around, or the name of the team that won the World Series in 2007, but I guarantee you that they will remember the name of their favorite elementary school teacher, or the person that taught them to swim. Be significant.

A hundred years from now it won’t matter how much money I had in a bank account, how big of a house I lived in or what kind of car I drove. What will matter is that I have made the difference in the life of a child. – Anonymous

by Jake Aguas
Student in
MA in Organizational Leadership
first published in "The Leader's Minute," Trabuco Canyon News April 2007

(c) Biola University 2007