The Most Valuable Leadership Lesson I Have Learnt in 30 Minutes
By: Dunstan Ayodele Stober
Tags: Self Improvement, Giving, Growth Mindset, Encouragement, Leadership

“And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ­– Mark 9:35

Photo by Joseph Barrientos on Unsplash

We are at the start of the second quarter of 2019, yet February 2018 still seems like just yesterday to me. Thirteen months ago, I was not sure what taking up my first CFO role will do to a routine I had spent almost two years building. I had transformed myself from a night owl to an early bird. I invested time in my writing and added exercise to my morning routine. But I was excited about the prospects of going back to lead the team that I had worked with four years earlier.

I was determined to maintain my daily routine of working, writing, and exercising. Looking back, I believe 2018 was a good year on many counts. I increased the consistency of my writing on Medium, and my followership grew to a base of over 100. I read (and listened) to more books. At work, my organisation posted its best results in four years. However, the most exciting achievement of 2018 for me was the improvement we made in our employee engagement score. The overall company score improved by 7 points, while my department posted a 2 points improvement over the previous year. This result was particularly pleasing to me because team engagement was high on my first 90 days’ agenda.

Financial results become history as soon as we publish them. Business plans and budgets become redundant within weeks of publication. The only thing that stands the test of time is the way we make our people feel, the growth and successes that we make possible for them. Hence, I make conscious and deliberate efforts to continuously grow into a better leader. I get coaching from my mentors. I read/listen to books and watch videos on the subject daily. I was determined that I will not let the demands of the CFO role cause me to do otherwise. That was until the start of 2019.

At the turn of the New Year 2019, the requirements of the job started to take their toll. The late working hours crept in. I was exercising less, learning less and writing less. One day turned into one week, one week into a month and then two months of regression. One cheat day lead to another before I knew it, I was close to 90 Kgs again. Yes. Anything you encourage will grow. Do not say it is just for one day, stick with your routine, and stay disciplined and consistent. But. In case you do regress as I did, then do what I did — press the reset button.

Leaving the office at about 2300 hours one night, I decided that it would be the last time that I will work so late again. I got to my hotel room, showered and went straight to bed determined to get up at 0530 hours to restart my routine. I set up my indoor cycling equipment and put my accessories in place, all ready to go. I placed my phone on the table away from the bed so that I will have to get up to switch off the annoying alarm when it goes off in the morning. Things went according to plan. By 0545 hours I was on my bike while watching a leadership lesson on YouTube.

Photo by Asif Aman on Unsplash

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” ― Napoleon Hill

My lesson of choice that morning was one by Dr John Maxwell. He delivers some of the most practical and intriguing leadership lessons I have heard. In this video, Dr Maxwell expertly crammed a life lesson on leadership in a compelling 30+ minutes video. The title of the video is “How to Have Your Best Year Ever”. My conclusion of the video was somewhat obscure from the title. What has having your best year got to do with leadership? That link lies in the theme of the video. The idea is simple.

“The good news, what I am about to share is simple, its reachable. Every one of you can achieve this.”

This principle is good for having your best life as it is for becoming a great leader. A great leader not only of others but also of yourself. According to Dr Maxwell, the secret is this…

“Every day serve someone. Every day add value to people. Every day live the intentional life of doing for others, sometimes what they cannot do for themselves.”

I believe that service to others is the best and the most tried and tested the law of leadership. All successful leaders in history will credit their success to this law simple law.

“The true leader serves. Serves people and their best interest. True leaders are motivated by loving concern rather than personal glory.” – Eugene Habecker (author of The Other Side of Leadership).

A friend asked me some time ago about what is it that motivates me. “What is it that drives me to pursue my career goals?” My “why” is this. I do what I do because of the opportunity it gives me to help others realize their potential. I am motivated to keep going when people tell me how they are able to advance in their own careers and lives because their paths crossed with mine; because of something I said to them or something I did for them. Seeing people grow is incredibly fulfilling to me. I want to keep getting better at serving.

A life of service is simple, but never easy. If I have to be honest, I will tell you that it is probably the most challenging principle to live by. You cannot choose the people you come across. You cannot decide when they cross your path. And you cannot tell what they will ask of you. You will face tough questions, and it will not always be convenient. I can guarantee you this one thing. It will always require sacrifice. In the video, Dr Maxwell talked about one of the founders of the Dream Center in Los Angeles (a hospital founded to help drug addicts get back on their feet). Matthew Barnett (co-founder) could not have articulated the difficulty and sacrifice involved in serving others better when he said this.

Photo by Fabio Comparelli on Unsplash

“If we are to be a bridge for others to cross over into a better life, we will get walked on.”

What a perspective about service. It is all down to doing these five things, according to Dr Maxwell:

1) Don’t rely on your position or your title.

“If you are good, you don’t need an introduction. If you are bad, a great introduction won’t help you.”

2) Believe in people and their potential.

“Believe in people. Value people. Unconditionally love people.”

3) See things from the perspective of others

“You will never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” — Harper Lee

4) Create an environment of encouragement

“Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul.”

5) Measure your success on how much value you add to other people

Dr Maxwell put down the above five things to achieve your best year (or live your best life). I see them as the five practice of successful leadership.

To have your best life, you have to be a great leader. And great leadership means:

“Service over status.

Character over comfort.

We over me”

“Your passion is for you. Your purpose is for others. When you use your passion to make a difference in someone’s life, that’s a service, that’s a purpose.” — Jay Shetty

Passion. Service. Purpose