Successful leaders know it’s all about the people. People are the only appreciable asset your church, team, or organization has. And they should be treated as such. The quickest way to get better as an organization is to properly invest in your people.
I just finished Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle’s incredible book Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook Of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell. This resource is an incredible tribute to one of the most influential people in global economic history. Bill played critical roles in the formation and success of companies like Apple, Google, and Intuit. You can learn more about this book by clicking HERE or on the image provided.
When he passed away in April 2016, the following are just some of the people who attended his funeral – Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Jon Doerr and many, many more. Bill was an executive, business coach and personal friend. He loved people and believed in the power of teams. He often gave his personal manifesto which he could quote verbatim. Here are his thoughts:
“People are the foundation of any company’s success. The primary job of each manager is to help people be more effective in their job and to grow and develop. We have great people who want to do well, are capable of doing great things, and come to work fired up to do them. Great people flourish in an environment that liberates and amplifies that energy. Managers create this environment through support, respect, and trust.
Support means giving people the tools, information, training, and coaching they need to succeed. It means continuous effort to develop people’s skills. Great managers help people excel and grow.
Respect means understanding people’s unique career goals and being sensitive to their life choices. It means helping people achieve these career goals in a way that’s consistent with the needs of the company.
Trust means freeings people to do their jobs and to make decisions. It means knowing people want to do well and believing that they will.”
Bill was often asked what kept him up at night. Rather than standard answers like market fluctuations, globalization, trade deficits, competition, innovation, and shareholder value, Bill always had the same answer: “the well-being and success of his people.”
It’s all about the people.
As a leader, what keeps you up at night? If it is something other than your people, you should read Bill’s words again and again until you can recite them verbatim.
My book Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices Of Apex Leaders is available for purchase. If you have ever wanted to become the leader God created you to be, this book is for you! By combining leadership lessons from biblical heroes like Jesus, Daniel and Joseph, along with modern day leaders like Bill Gates, Nick Saban, Kobe Bryant and multiple pastors, Timeless will equip and inspire you. This book is not to be read alone. Discussion questions are included in each chapter allowing you to develop those in your circle of influence. Click HERE or on the image provided and order your copies TODAY.