Great leaders build legacies, not trophy cabinets.
They’re motivated by the mountain, not the flag at the top.
They care about what they do, not what medals they win.
Most leaders spend a lifetime achieving lots of small things. Their teams do actually.
Some do great things.
Working to achieve is what makes leaders stand out, not working to be famous.
Great leaders achieve things whether they get credit or not. Their teams know it too.
As always, this is a matter of balance not elimination. Credit & attention are very basic human needs. They drive motivation & help us keep teams together. We all need encouragement.
In those many moments when you make small decisions, whether you put more weight on what others think – (good or bad), than what the outcome will be, that matters.
Every decision based on gaining favour pushes the outcome a bit further away.
A few don’t matter, but the sum of many adds up and affects what your team will achieve. Seeking attention becomes a habit. That habit influences what your team pays attention to.
Your team knows what matters to you. The mountain or the flag at the top?
“…working to achieve is what makes leaders stand out, not working to be famous…”
That mission you’ve been thinking about so much that you’re taking action on it, you’re experimenting and setting priorities…
The thing that really keeps you awake at night and motivated…
Is it a thing? Is it an achievement? Something you’ll be proud of when it’s done?
Do you like getting positive feedback?
Do you ever get negative feed or pushback from those whose opinions matter to you, on what you’re trying to do?
Do you keep going anyway?
When people don’t care as much as you, do you carry on anyway?
How much disfavour or criticism would you take and still stick to your mission?
How often do you avoid hard, unpopular decisions?
Have you ever been thrown under the bus by a boss?
Have you ever done it yourself?
Does your team know that you’ll take heat to enable them to do their jobs?
Do you protect them, and take blame for mistakes?
Is the end result what matters most, or what others think about you?
What really motivates you?
Are you an achiever?
.
.
“I might be wrong, but at least I’ve thought about it…”