I have been doing some reading on Leadership. As President of the Belvidere Bright Horizons Rotary Club, I respect the position of leadership and I try to set a good example for those taking over when I am done with my year, and those that went before me. Although there is so much about leadership that I do not know, I try not to put myself above anyone else because most importantly, I am still a Rotarian, A volunteer, and a human being.
Recently I began reading books from Simple Truths by Mac Anderson. He writes simple but powerful articles on many different aspects of life. My latest book is on leadership. "The Essence of Leadership" was the title. I would like to share one of the short chapters with you about leadership that describes my principles in many ways. Here is the reprint from "The Essence of Leadership" by Mac Anderson:
"Walk A Mile In Their Shoes"
*On March 5, 2003, I turned on Good Morning, America while eating breakfast. Charles Gibson was interviewing General Earl Hailston, the commanding general of Marine Forces Central Command. The general was waiting with his troops just a few miles off the border of Iraq...waiting to go to war. General Hailston is the only general in the armed forces who had enlisted and came up through the ranks, and as he spoke, I was impressed by his humble and caring attitude.
Toward the end of the interview, his answer to a question touched me deeply. When Charles asked him if he had any hobbies outside his work, the general said, "Yes, I love photography, especially taking photos of my men." He shared that while he had been waiting for the past few days he would take photos of his men, and at night he would email the photos with a brief note to their mothers back in the USA. charles asked if he could see a sample of a letter, and the general walked into his tent, turned on his computer, and read the last letter he had sent. It said:
Dear Mrs. Johnson,
I thought you might enjoy seeing this picture of your son. He is doing great. I also wanted you to know that you did a wonderful job of raising him. You must be very proud. I can certainly tell you that I'm honored to serve with him in the U.S. Marines. General Earl Hailston
Wow! I had goos bumps as I watched. I then watched Charles randomly interview a few of General Hailston's men. You could feel the genuine love and respect that every one of them had for their leader. You mmay have heard the quote... "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Well, here's a man who truly understood what caring leadership is all about."
I have walked in many shoes in my life time. I have been in positions of leadership many times. I have always tried to remain humble to my role as a leader and I have never put myself above another. Leadership takes wisdom integrity, patience, understanding, and the ability to know and seperate them at the appropriate time.
Are you a great leader? Always remember..."They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Article written and submitted by Bill Villont, President of Bright Horizons Rotary Club in Belvidere, IL
*Reprinted from the book "The Essence of Leadership" by Mac Anderson, founder of Successories.
Click here , or, on the underlined title to this article to go to the Simple Truths Web Site.
