Luke is my cousin’s grandson. He was born a few months ago and has been in Arkansas Children’s Hospital every day since saying hello to this world. Luke was born with a heart defect. They knew it before he was born and were somewhat prepared but in life and business, things very seldom go as planned. There has been many CIP’s (Change In Plans). The smile you see was a long time coming and welcomed by many.
Luke has had two open heart surgeries. The doctors had to basically go in and reconstruct his heart. He and the family have been the recipients of many prayers and blessings from friends, family and total strangers. He is finally gaining weight, getting stronger every day and although there is another surgery scheduled, will hopefully be able to come home soon.
Since we teach a leadership (or Seedership in our case) course, I look for life and leadership lessons in many different situations. I woke in the middle of the night with Luke on my mind and what leadership lessons we could learn from him. I shared my thoughts with my wife and this is what we came up with;
- You can influence other lives without saying a word.
- You should never go it totally alone. Your success is greatly influenced by the success of others.
- Every day is another opportunity to improve on yesterday.
- Sometimes it takes someone else working on your heart to improve your life.
- It is impossible to overestimate the value of friends, family and sometimes, a total stranger.
- Though my hourly, daily or weekly priorities may be influenced or changed, early in life I must establish my core life priorities and stick with them. Family must be VERY high on this list.
- The words “just a” should NEVER be placed in front of any job title. EVERYONE brings something to the table. From the janitor to the surgeon, every role is important. There may be a doctor or nurse in charge at any given time but every role is important. No title is “just a” in any business. (A special thanks to all employees of Arkansas Children’s Hospital. It takes every one of you.)
- Sometimes we forget the impact of something as simple as a smile on others.
Luke has been through more medically in a few months than most of us will experience in a lifetime. There were many different titles that played a leadership role in his success. Some decisions have been life or death, some have not. I cannot imagine the years of education and training that have contributed to his success.
You may not make daily life or death decisions but if you are a leader in any capacity, you make life “affecting” decisions every day. It could be as simple as ignoring poor performers or turning your head on waste or theft. It could be not acknowledging or rewarding high performers. It could be not training your employees. These decisions affect profits or morale which affects the success of the business which could affect jobs which WILL impact lives.
Luke, thanks for the inspiration. I’ll share this with you when you can read.
Can you see any life or leadership lessons I’ve missed?
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