What Sylvia Teaches Us About Leadership, Contributing And The Ripple Effect
Written by: Brian Wood, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
She's had more yesterdays than she has tomorrows. Although halfway through her eighties, she still wakes up with excitement and anticipation! It is nothing like the joy we might experience upon realizing it’s Sunday morning and knowing the plan for the day is to shut it down, do nothing and relax.
Sylvia's elation is different and includes a variety of emotions. Gratitude for the countless number of people she's positively impacted throughout her amazing life. Pride with the fact that the non-profit organization where she works, needs her to show up with kindness and consistency. Responsibility to serve her team/work family, who ultimately changes more lives than she'll ever know. And even though there's an occasional frustration verbalized ‒ "Wow there are a ton of clothes to organize this morning" ‒ she loves it!
Sylvia shows up with purpose and is thrilled to contribute to a role that makes the organization better and positively influences humanity. A different assignment might not be a good fit. In fact, it’s easy to imagine a leader lacking creativity who makes the "difficult decision" to part ways with Sylvia. This same leader might be recognized, applauded, and even promoted for taking such courageous action.
What happens when Sylvia no longer feels valued? What becomes of Sylvia when she feels like her voice is not heard? Maybe she quits trying and loses her passion for supporting others. There’s a chance that Sylvia gives up on her will to live with purpose and decides to simply exist. And imagine how her personal circle is impacted when this lesser version of Sylvia.
Think of a time when you were working for a leader you didn’t believe in (perhaps because he/she didn’t believe in you). Maybe it was someone you didn’t trust, someone who didn’t understand the importance of developing team members and putting each direct report in a position for success. Perhaps this leader had self-serving intentions with an inflated ego, or they showed up with amazing intentions but lacked the creativity and innovation to effectively maximize the collective potential of the team. Regardless of the leadership issue, the damage can ripple throughout an organization and negatively impact more than a few lives.
Business is extremely competitive. Life doesn’t always appear to be fair. And this is not to say that a perfect role is always available for each Sylvia. But leading in a way where we can explore the possibilities and the "what if" scenarios gives us better odds to find the right fit that serves as a differentiator and a distinct business advantage.
Every single day there's an opportunity to creatively find and leverage the gifts and greatness of others.
Contribution is about always finding ways to contribute individually, while leading others toward opportunities for maximum influence.
“Don’t be the best in the world, be the best for the world” ‒ unknown
Brian Wood, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Brian Wood combines 30 years of corporate experience with his background as an athlete, certified player agent (NBA, WNBA, and FIBA), and a certified professional success coach to provide clients with a unique perspective and guidance toward the next level of achievement. Wood is passionate about continuous personal and professional growth including organizational development, training, and gamification. He is enthusiastic about helping leaders leverage their gifts to drive impact and success. Wood supports major corporations, professional sports organizations, and municipalities. He provides confidential, professional, and executive coaching, speaking engagements, virtual and in-person facilitation.
