A race, like an individual, lifts itself up by lifting others up. – Booker T. Washington

Chances are you have never heard of Cooper Erickson and Ethan Olds. And you wouldn’t be alone. Cooper and Ethan gained notoriety back in September of 2023 when competing in a track meet. 

Cooper, a sophomore at Stevens Point Area High School in Wisconsin was on his way to a third-place finish in the race when he saw the runner in front of him stumble and fall. Instead of running past him to cross the finish line in second place, Cooper ran back and helped the runner, a competitor from another school.

Ethan Olds, a classmate of Cooper was coming up behind Ethan in fourth place. When he saw his teammate stopping to help, he also ran back to help.

When asked about what he did, Cooper said, “When you start to take running very seriously, you build a community, and that community is so wide– it’s just whoever you race, you have respect for because they are giving it their all. And I thought that was more important than necessarily finishing in second place or third place.”  (Read the story here)

What the two high school students did at that event serves as a great lesson in leadership. While the boys were only in high school, some might have given them a pass if they had not stopped to help their fellow competitors – they are high school students after all. 

The example of Ethan and Cooper is one worth emulating. As John Maxwell said, “Leaders who fail to lift others in the long run, fail to lift themselves.” And this goes to the heart of your leadership. Why is lifting others essential to your leadership? Let’s explore these three ways.

Leaders who lift have set aside their insecurities

This is perhaps one of the most common causes as to why some leaders don’t lift others. So long as you are insecure you will always be looking upon others with a suspicious eye. This posture puts a lid on your leadership, and what’s worse is that by doing so, you hold others back and keep them from reaching their potential.

Leadership Tip: Don’t allow your insecurities and pettiness to hold others back. The people around you need your best, not your baggage.

Leaders who lift give hope

Something special happens when a leader lifts another person. A shift happens that creates a new level of momentum and energy. Perhaps that person has been stuck, feeling despondent, and believes that the struggle is not worth it. Your one selfless act of leadership can be all it takes to turn things around and give hope to that aspiring leader.

Leadership Tip: Daily look for opportunities to be a leader that lifts. Who needs your hand today?

Leaders who lift build the future

When you lift others, you are helping build the next generation of leaders. In the end, it’s not about what you did for yourself, but what did you for someone else. Did you lift, build, encourage, and inspire those around you? A simple act of kindness on your part by lifting someone else is laying the foundation for another’s rise in leadership.

Leadership Tip: Being a leader that lifts is a recognition that we are all in this together. Lift others, be humble, and remember that it’s OK to turn around in your race and pick someone up.

©2024 Doug Dickerson

Where focus goes, energy flows. – Tony Robbins

On more than one occasion over the years, I’ve come away disappointed with what would have been a great photograph that I ruined by one major mistake. It was out of focus. Ugh!

You would think that after a lifetime of taking pictures and being an avid photographer, I would know better. It’s not like the concept is new to me. After all, I’ve won awards for my photographs and have taught classes for others to better improve their photography skills.

But focusing issues is a common mistake in photography whether you’re an amateur or professional if you’re not careful. The primary reasons are that the camera moved, the subject moved and you didn’t adjust in time, and missed focus among other things. 

In leadership, we often hear that we need to see the big picture – and we do. It’s important to understand where you are, know where you are going, and set proper goals to get there. 

The broader the picture, however, the harder it is to narrow your focus on the things in your leadership that matter most. In photography, you might appreciate the big picture from an artistic point of view, but finer details and focal points can go unnoticed and underappreciated.

In your leadership, what you focus on matters. As Tony Robbins said, It’s where your energy flows. How can you get your leadership in focus and activate your energy? Here are a few tips.

Focus on daily growth

Focusing on the daily disciplines each day that advance you toward your goals. It’s normal to want to rush the process and overnight be at a level of success that took others years to attain. But that’s not how they achieved it and chances are, neither will you. Don’t despise the importance of daily growth.

Focus on serving others

An essential characteristic of your leadership is found in serving others. Someone once said, “If serving is beneath you then leading is beyond you,” and this is one of the most essential characteristics of leadership to learn. Understanding that it’s not about you will remove the focus from yourself and where it belongs – serving the needs of others.

Focus on adding value to others

Similar in nature to serving others, adding value is a key component of your leadership. Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want.” Adding value to others allows you to put into practice the discipline of serving others tangibly. By doing so, you are showing yourself to be a selfless leader that’s worthy of following.

Focus on your priorities

As a leader, you have to know the difference between what’s important and what’s important to you. Many leaders lose their focus when it comes to priorities because they get sucked into the “tyranny of the urgent” that others create. Learning how to stay in your lane and focus on your priorities is a matter of good self-leadership. There’s a difference between adding value to others and adding to the drama. Understand the difference and stick to your priorities. Click To Tweet

Focus on consistency

John Maxwell said, “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” And this is the secret sauce of focus. When you focus on being consistent with your growth and daily disciplines, you will rise in your leadership.

Final Thought

Famed photographer Ansel Adams said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand,” and it’s true in your leadership. Where you stand matters. And once you know where you stand, everything comes into focus.

©2024 Doug Dickerson

Everything worthwhile is uphill. – John Maxwell

After 36 years of marriage, I’ve learned a thing or two about good intentions. Most of them the hard way.

I recall the time when I was using the mixer to make some cookies. This was early on in our marriage. Up to that point, I had used it numerous times without incident. On this particular occasion, however, things went sideways and I managed to burn it up.

When Christmas came around a few months later and feeling remorse for what I had done with the decommissioned mixer, I made the decision to purchase a new one for her. Now, keep in mind, that this was just one of the many presents that I gave her. Surely, my wife would appreciate a new one, I reasoned.

I was wrong.

Her appreciation for receiving a new mixer did not match my good intentions of giving it to her. Needless to say, in the years since that incident, never has appliances been associated with Christmas. 

Good intentions – while good, are never enough. Hang around in leadership long enough and you will learn this. Here’s what I know about good intentions:

• Good intentions reflect a dream or desire for something better
• Good intentions reflect that you have ambition
• Good intentions reflect that you care and are invested on some level

But my good intentions and yours are never enough.

John Maxwell said, “One of the greatest gaps in life is between sounding good and doing good. We are ultimately measured by what we do and how our actions shape the world around us. Without results, all the best intentions in the world are just a way of deluding ourselves.” And this is a gap in your leadership that needs to be bridged.

The key to moving from good intentions to action and results is found in self-discipline. It’s not what you start, plot, or plan, but what you get done.

Think for a moment about what your life – both personally and professionally, would look like if you moved from good intentions to actions and results. Consider the following:

• What would your relationships look like?
• What would your finances look like?
• What would your career look like?
• What would your faith look like?
• What impact can you envision making on the world?
• What would you attempt to accomplish if you had the discipline to move from good intentions to action?

The late Zig Ziglar said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” And this is your leadership challenge- to start!

So let me ask you, what’s holding you back from taking action? Is it a fear of failure? Is it a fear of what others might say or think? Is it a lack of confidence in your own ability? Whatever it may be, let me be the first to encourage you to set those fears aside and simply start. 

Final Thoughts

My wife and I are able to now look back and laugh about her getting the mixer for Christmas. But it was a lesson learned that helped me realize that despite my good intentions at the time, I could have at least waited until Valentine’s Day to give it to her.

©2023 Doug Dickerson

Those at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there. – Marcus Washling

I read a story about an animal trainer for Hollywood movies who was once asked how he could stake down a full-grown elephant with the same size stake used for a baby elephant. “It’s easy,” replied the trainer, “When they are babies, we stake them down. They try to tug away from the stake maybe ten thousand times before realizing they can’t escape. At that point, their ‘elephant memory’ takes over, and they remember that they can’t get away from the stake for the rest of their lives.”

Regarding your personal growth and development as a leader, you must be fully aware of your surroundings and the stakes that would hold you back and prevent your growth. Nido Qubein put it this way, “ Whether you are a success or a failure in life has little to do with your circumstances; it has much to do with your choices.” Your choices will make or break you as a leader. 

When it comes to your personal growth and development, you must make wise choices about the stakes that could hold you back. What are they? Let’s explore a few together.

The stake of what other people think

How far you can go, how high you can climb, and what you can achieve are not determined by the limitations others may try to place on you. Don’t let the negative things others say become a stake that prevents you from achieving your goals. It’s not what others say but what you believe that matters.

The stake of failure

John Maxwell said, “The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.” How you respond to failure will either be a stake in the ground that holds you back or a stepping stone to a brighter future because you dared to believe that your failure wasn’t fatal or final but an opportunity for growth.

The stake of your comfort zone

Comfort zones tend to lull you into playing it safe. This is perhaps the most dangerous stake because of the false sense of security it gives you. It causes you to embrace your worst fears rather than your greatest strengths. It turns you into a spectator of others’ achievements while making you settle for less than you can achieve.

The stakes of comparing yourself to others

One of the most damaging things you can do on your personal growth journey is compare yourself to others. It’s a distraction at best. You can look at what someone else is doing and achieving and talk yourself into believing you can never succeed on their level. You can compare yourself to another and think you are so much better. Either way, it’s unhealthy. Run your race with all your strength, stay in your lane, and don’t worry about the person beside you.  

The stake of no discipline

Bruce Springsteen said, “A time comes when you need to stop waiting for the man you want to become and start being the man you want to be.” If you desire to grow and develop as a leader, then it’s up to you to uproot the stake of an undisciplined life and take intentional steps that will move you from where you are to where you want to be. Wishful thinking will not suffice. 

Final Thoughts

You will never achieve all you can unless and until you believe that the stakes holding you back are not worth comparing to the rewards that await you when you think you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

©2023 Doug Dickerson