“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life.” – Steve Jobs
Jobs had a special way of communicating the obvious that other leaders struggle to communicate at all. Death is the “elephant in the room”, that most leaders seldom, consciously incorporate into their professional and personal decision making. Why is this, when we all know death is the only undefeated franchise in history? How do we incorporate this present, yet possibly distant concept into our day-to-day life; both professionally and personally?
I believe the first step is to comprehensively acknowledge and respect, but not be intimidated by, the fact that we won’t be leaders forever. Reach your hand outward, to acknowledge and respect the concept of death, while letting it know you’re not intimidated by it, just as you would a respected professional. Embracing this belief helps clarify the importance of our decision making, both professionally and personally.
Since time is truly a finite resource that lacks any reasonable level of flexibility and doesn’t come with a fuel gauge; decisions need to simultaneously be aligned with short, intermediate and long-term plans. I submit, the choices we make professionally and personally are so naturally intertwined, that we should not even attempt to separate them.
How do we intelligently make big decisions in life?
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” – Steve Jobs
Follow your heart!? How scary is that when you have a great leadership role in a great company or are living a great personal life, but your heart wants you to pursue a different course?
Leadership starts and ends with the choices we make for ourselves personally and professionally. When leaders pursue causes greater than themselves, rather than taking the most traveled, safe routes in life, the journey can range from brutally difficult to tremendously fulfilling.
“Take the slower, bumpier brick road, built by you and held together with blood, sweat and tears produced from a lifetime of effort. Further, tile it together with a “splash of attitude”, one brick of execution at a time!” (Source: Get MAD! 7 Keys to Being an Admired, Kick-Ass Leader – page 17.)
The best leaders embrace their intertwined professional and personal roles to simultaneously excel at both, regardless of which specific role they are in, at any specific moment. The best leaders are driven by a genuine appreciation for life, a respect for time as a finite asset and able to simultaneously leverage their professional and personal leadership to create positive change in both areas of their lives.
Intelligently, with an abundance of perseverance, follow your heart, only when you’ve surrounded yourself professionally and personally, with those that share the unquenched passion in your heart. Otherwise, the journey will likely be lonely and come up short!
Who changes the world? I believe it’s almost exclusively the Top-7%. They are the only ones with the Talent Portfolios and social consciences needed to actually implement significant positive social impact. If you believe you’re one of these executives, we’d love to explore possible opportunities.
Get Making A Difference! ~ JR