“The world of the 1990s and beyond will not belong to managers or those who make the numbers dance, as we used to say, or those who are conversant with all the business and jargon we use to sound smart.  The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders – people who not only have an enormous amount of energy but who can energize those whom they lead.” – Jack Welch, Chairman and CEO of General Electric.

And remember, it’s all about the relationship.

I go for long walks in the woods a lot, and I ask myself if I’m handling all this success the way it ought to be handled.  I don’t know why it happened to me.  God has a purpose for it.  We are able to contribute an awful lot of money to His work, and maybe that’s why.  But I firmly believe it will be over one of these days – five years from now, ten years from now.  The books will stop selling for whatever reason.  All this is temporary.

One of my best friends in college died when he was twenty-five, just a few years after we had finished Mississippi State University.  I was in law school, and he called me one day and wanted to get together.  So we had lunch, and he told me that he had terminal cancer.

I couldn’t believe it.  I asked him, “What do you do when you realize that you are about to die?”

He said, “It’s real simple.  You get things right with God, and you spend as much time with those you love as you can.  Then you settle up with everybody else.”

That left an impression on me.

John Grisham, from an interview with Christianity Today

And remember, it’s all about THE relationship.

I came across the following statistics that were tucked away in my Leadership File:

• Only 14% of leaders are seen by their followers as people they would choose as role models
• Less than 50% of followers trust their leaders
• 61% of business leaders do not exhibit appropriate managerial behavior
• 40% of employees say their leaders do a poor job of solving problems
• 50% of employees say their leaders tolerate poor performance too long
• 40% of leaders are threatened by talented subordinates

What does your leadership scorecard look like?

And remember, it’s all about the relationship.

PS – I’m not able to identify the source (If you know, please let me know) of these statistics, but they coincide with the opinions of the hundreds of employees that I have personally interviewed.

“To be a leader means willingness to risk – and a willingness to love.  Has the leader given you something from the heart?”
Hubert H. Humphrey

And remember, it’s all about the relationship.

Following is Coach Lou Holtz’s response to my question, “In your opinion, what are the three most important character traits of winners”…

“I believe very strongly in these three traits that every winner must have. They must be trustworthy and surround themselves with trustworthy people. They care about others and what they do and surround themselves with others that care. Lastly, they must be committed to excellence in all that they do.”

Trust – Compassion – Excellence… Sound leadership advice from a man whose philosophy has been tested and proven on the playing field of life.

And remember, it’s all about the relationship.

In this powerful book on self-improvement and self-discovery, Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. It’s one of my all time favorites and one that I highly recommend if you’re serious about improving your life.