I remember a leader I really admired years ago who said there are days when in quiet reflection he would ask himself… “I wonder if I have really done any good?”
I was surprised that this leader would ask this question—of course he had! He had done a lot of good, and I could easily point it out to him all day long. But for some reason it was difficult for him to see it.
Perhaps others weren’t telling him enough, or maybe he was just so busy always trying to fix things and put out fires in the middle of his vast forest that he had accountability for, that he just didn’t take the time to get above the trees and realize all of the good he had done.
I believe that most leaders are really good at reflecting on a fairly regular basis on everything that is going wrong, and fail to reflect on everything that is going right. And specifically fail to reflect on the good they are doing.
If you read my blog regularly, I imagine you are a leader that does plenty of good every day for others. I would bet you are leaving the world a better place because of who you are and what you do.
Why do I know that you’re that type of leader? Because I blog on leading from the heart through caring and service. And if you are a regular reader, you are most likely that type of leader too!
So, how are you doing? Do you ever reflect on all of the good that you are doing?
How many kind and encouraging words did you say to someone today that brought a smile to their face? Who did you spend time with today showing them how to do something that helped them to do their job better? What difficult conversation did you have with an employee that would give them new direction, hope and possibly purpose?
Let’s continue… What did you do today to serve your significant other? What did you do today with family that made a difference to them? How many times did you wisely exercise patience with a family member, friend or employee? Who did you take the time with recently that you just simply listened to because they were having a bad day?
There are so many things that each of us do every day that bring good to others, to organizations and to the world.
This is not an easy exercise. But if you start thinking hard enough about the good you are doing, it is there and it feels good!
I would encourage each of us to keep a personal “do good” journal. Every day right down the things that you did that made a difference to someone else. The journal doesn’t need to be shared, it’s just a way for you to reflect on the good you are doing.
It’s important that all of us look at the things we can do better, but it is just as important to look at the things we are doing right as well and specifically all of the good we are doing for others 🙂
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