Its All About the Dash!
Friend and colleague Vernon
Hargray is not only an assistant city manager, but also a
passionate pastor on occasional Sundays. He shared a concept
with me which is significant in the way we work and the way we
live. It derives from the fact that the older you get the more
likely you are to attend funerals more often than
weddings.
The
HR Doctor realizes part of going to a cemetery is a walk
thoughtfully between the tombstones. One common element is
apparent in virtually every one of them. That is, a dash (-)
between the birth year and the year of death of the
deceased.
A
dash (-) really is a metaphor for all that we do in our life,
from the time that we start until the time that we finish. My
last walk through a cemetery made me think of the dash (-) and
the importance it has as a mile marker in my own
life.
Will I have filled the dash (-)
with success, joy, contribution and inspiration to others? On
the other hand, will that precious dash (-) be squandered by
arrogance and sloth? What fills your dash (-) is a fundamental
question about how you live your life.
The
HR Doctor has written often about the importance of avoiding
arrogance and inertia in our lives. These two life enemies
waste our potential and limit how much good in the world we
can do.
Live your life as an optimist,
focused on inspiring others to grow and succeed and the dash
(-) in your own life should be rich with success and
leadership.
The
metaphor is also very important at work. The way you start a
project and move toward its completion or the way you begin
helping the career of a colleague by being a mentor or a coach
is a very important part of what gets etched into that dash
(-).
Its time to roll out two quotes
by very smart people. Both go to the definition of leadership.
The first is a simple one from Napoleon. Short in stature, he
was, however, tall in the legacy of his imprint on the history
of France and the world in general. He defined a leader as a
"dealer in hope." He meant, no doubt, being a "carrier of a
strain of infectious hope" and encouragement for the positive
outcomes that other people can generate when they stay focused
and combine knowledge with passion for their work. In fact,
human resources in government and in business is really about
exercising the skills that inspire others.
The
second quote is from the sixth president of the United States,
John Quincy Adams. Perhaps you would not do well in a final
exam about the contributions of Mr. Adams, but consider this
quote and its connection to how we live our lives. "If your
actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and
become more, you are a leader."
Apply the concept of filling in
the dash (-) in your own life, at work, with your family, and
in general by focusing on your own leadership skills. Be an
inspirer of others, and your own legacy will be enriched by
the success of others in which you had some small
role.
In
Human Resources and in life, its all about the dash
(-).
The
HR Doctor hopes that all of your dash space is well
filled!
Phil Rosenberg
The HR
Doctor
http://www.hrdr.net/
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