What one person has made the most significant contribution to the person you are today?

25 Jul What one person has made the most significant contribution to the person you are today?

Not a Mother’s or Father’s Day Question (But It Could Have Been)

Recently, I had the opportunity to give the keynote address to the Leadership Institute of the Healthcare Leadership Network of the Delaware Valley at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. This is the regional chapter of the ACHE.

I started by asking the 200 folks in the audience to think about

“What one person has made the most significant contribution to the person you are today?”, followed by
“What did that person do to make such an impact on you?”, and then
“How did that person affect you?”

A few weeks later, as Father’s Day approached, it occurred to me that, when asked this same question, many people would respond by identifying their father. Or their mother.

What would your answer be?

I believe that for most of you the answer will point at an individual who really cared about you! And showed it.

In fact, in over 30 years of extensive research regarding the elements of effective leadership (including proprietary research with CEO recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award), we’ve found that great leaders genuinely care about others with whom they work.  They love to assist others in reaching their goals and being the best they can be.

And isn’t that, by definition, what great fathers and mothers do? Except, for them we wouldn’t call the efforts they expend “work.” More likely, we’d call it “love.”

Interestingly, our work at The Synergy Organization has also revealed that:

1. 1. The best people typically love to do whatever their jobs require of them.
   2. People don’t change themselves to fit their jobs, rather they change their job responsibilities around to suit their own preferences.
   3. Great Leaders bring out the best in others; whereas, weak leaders often frustrate solid performers and hinder both individual and organizational performance.

At Synergy, we appreciate the fundamental truth of these findings, and as the national leader in evidence-based healthcare executive search and executive assessments, we never settle for less than world-class results!

We know that having the right leaders, the right role models, and the right fathers and mothers matters. They set the stage for subsequent generations to thrive!

Best Regards,

– Ken

 866-HIRE-123  • synergyorg.com