As I've noted several times before, from time to time throughout this year I intend to take a moment to thank various people for their contribution to my life. Today I chose to send a thank you note to a man who had an important influence on my own leadership style.
For many years, I served on an advisory council for a large insurance company with which we worked. We would meet twice each year with the senior executives of the company to exchange ideas and provide feedback. For me, the highlight of these sessions was always the opportunity to watch and learn from the company's CEO. He was truly an extraordinary leader, one who commanded respect not by his dynamic personality (he was anything but dynamic!), but by his personal credibility and integrity. With his unwavering commitment to values, he inspired trust and confidence in all those who were around him. He also possessed a great ability to explain strategy and corporate direction with wonderful simplicity and clarity. It was a privilege to have a front row seat to observe him, as his style was a validation for me of how I thought a leader ought to be.
It occurs to me that we each influence so many people with whom we come in contact, and in so many different ways. In the great majority of situations though, we'll likely never know the influence we had. Once in awhile it's nice to reach out and let others know the impact they've had on us. I'm glad I did so for this person today.
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