The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. –Max De Pree
Where would I be in my career without all of the many people who have made it possible. As we approach Thanksgiving this week, I would be remiss not to send a call out to the many people I have interacted and served with over the past 20+ years … so without further delay, I am thankful for ….
- The many companies & bosses who have given me the opportunity
- The awesome successes … as well as the failures
- The mentors and comrades who have walked with me during those successes and failures
- The executives who believed in me and were willing to champion the vision I presented
- The executives who challenged my premises, causing me to rethink and come back stronger
- The architects and engineers with whom I have brainstormed & orchestrated
- The sales leaders with whom I have collaborated & combated
- The marketing teams with whom I have dreamed with & created
- My colleagues and team members who have sharpened me as iron sharpens iron
And in the spirit of acknowledging others beyond this Thanksgiving, I found this interesting post called Take the Thanksgiving Leadership Challenge. The premise is this … take up the challenge to give your true and sincere thanks to someone who deserves it at least once a week for the next year. Are you up for it?
Happy Thanksgiving to all!