How Leaders Leave a Living Legacy

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”  Henry Ford

“I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.” Thomas Jefferson

Billy Graham said “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith

Dr. Lee Allen

Growing up poor, sometimes the best entertainment was listening to the memories of the older generation. My grandmother loved to tell us about her father, Dr. Lee Allen. Being a physician in the 1800’s and early 1900’s is a bit different than 2017.  Country Docs went from home to home and were often paid with a chicken or produce from the garden.  Whatever the family in need had to share would be accepted as payment.  Being a physician in that day meant living by faith. Faith that God and good people would share enough that you could provide for your own family. From what I have gleaned about my great grandfather he was a character but also a man of character. As a child, I often thought I would follow in his footsteps.  The practice of medicine intrigued me.  The physician’s oath allured me. Was there more to the vocation than the picture of a family doctor?

Living in a small rural community gives you the opportunity to know just about everyone. When I was a child, a young physician moved down the road from us, Dr. Edwin Walker, newly married to Regina Allen. Over the years, the opportunity presented itself for my life to interface with Dr. Walker, Mrs. Regina and their wonderful daughters.  On my bookshelf is a two-volume set entitled Bible Characters by Alexander White. It was given to me by Ed and Regina Walker on June 28, 1970.  I have read and researched that set many times over the years. Biographies and character studies are my favorite reading. There is much to be gleaned from the lives of others.

As a young man who never knew his father, I am grateful for the men in my community who modeled a good father image and some who took the time to invest a few moments with me to teach a life lesson.  

On more than one occasion Dr. Ed took the time to talk with me and share a life lesson. But more important than the things he taught was the manner in which he taught. It was always done in a discretionary manner. One that always protected my privacy and exhorted me to develop stronger character. Over the years, I realized I could confide in him. He knew me, the good, the bad and yet he took the time to invest.  That is what leaders do. They make time to invest in others.  I never recall calling him that he did not return my phone call. 

One of the keys of great leadership is discretion. It opens a door to a safe place where others will listen as you inform them.  Thomas Jefferson understood the delicate nature of discretion.

I am sure Doc Walker has forgotten some of those conversations but they were imprinted in me. Some took place at his office, some at our church, a couple over a hamburger and some in his home. Now decades later what I recall is the discretionary manner in which those conversations took place.  Dr. Walker had the ability to avoid words or attitudes which would result in undesirable consequences. He was focused on practical steps of application that would yield positive and lasting results. He exercised discretion at the highest level.  Great leaders understand the difference in discretion and simple mindedness.  Discretion is focused on just, prudent and right living. Simple mindedness lacks judgement and shows little intelligent thought.  Discretion builds character while simple mindedness focuses on the temporal and leads to its own punishment. 

Leaders utilize discretion in their daily lives.  Discretionary living leads to discretionary giving. Discretionary giving yields a life of thanksgiving.  It is a life of gratefulness and a desire to invest in others that matters.  It is not your personal legacy that should be remembered but rather a legacy of giving, forgiving and thanksgiving.  When future generations read, or hear about us, our life of character should rise to the top.  Not what we had accomplished but who we were.

Dr. Edwin Walker

Decades later Dr. Edwin Walker has impacted the lives of others through simply being himself and living a life of giving, forgiving and thanksgiving. I will always be grateful to him and his dear wife Regina for the influence they had on me and the time they invested in my life.

I am honored to call him my friend, a true leader among men.

In a future blog, I will share the investment Mrs. Regina made in my life.

Watch for my next blog when we discuss another key for great leadership and share this blog with someone who needs encouragement to live a life of giving, forgiving and thanksgiving.

I hear that afternoon cup of community coffee calling me aside to reflect on life.  

How does Cream Rise to the Top?

“Time to milk “-those are words a boy hears when he grow up with dairy cows. Twice a day every day without exception that is what happened where I grew up.

A cow gives whole milk that has two components, nonfat milk, and cream. Left to settle, the cream will naturally rise to the top. Homogenization, a process introduced in 1932, breaks apart fat molecules under high pressure, leaving the fat suspended and evenly dispersed throughout the milk. 

We did not homogenize our milk but left the milk to its natural state; this allowed the cream to rise to the top. Homogenization does not contribute any nutritional benefit, but is efficiency for the corporate farm and a convenience for consumers since homogenized milk does not have to be repeatedly shaken or stirred.

Skimming the inches of fresh cream from a jar of fresh milk is a simple art. The milk is refrigerated and allowed to sit for 24 hours giving the cream plenty of time to rise to the top. The following day the cream line appears with the precision of a fine watch. It now is easy to ladle gently the cream from the milk. The cream appears thick and luscious. The milk is thin and less appealing.   

We all have heard that the cream rises to the top and most understand the analogy. Just how does that happen in the world of leadership and life?

Many corporations utilize profile tests in an effort to properly hire and promote employees. Most profile evaluations compare your natural tendencies to the behavior that you have adapted. An employee is most effective when they are behaving in their natural state. What companies really want is predictability and consistency. They want corporate behavior to be as accurate as a mathematical calculation.

They want something more than reliability they want dependability. Dependability carries the notion of reliable consistency. It means fulfilling my commitment at all cost.

Do you want to rise to the top and separate yourself from others? Leaders understand that dependability is not optional but is vital. Inconsistency is thin and less appealing. Dependability is not something one can compromise. Compromising dependability simply homogenizes you. You become uniform and similar. You blend in.

Rise to the top. Be dependable. Those you lead depend on your dependability!

Watch for my next blog when we discuss a rarely taught leadership key that will open doors that no other key opens.

Now for that cup of coffee…

True Humility is marked with a Servant Attitude

There was only one brand of coffee in our home—Community Dark Roast. Community Coffee is a local brand founded by Cap Saurage. Cap owned a country store and wanted to share his coffee with his neighbors. He had a secret blend and word spread quickly that it was the best coffee around. He named his coffee “Community Coffee’ to honor his friends and neighbors. Cap- was a humble man who wanted to share what he had with others. Cap thought more of others and less of himself.

In my hometown, there was an elderly man who lived alone with his afflicted son Burl. Burl sold peanuts out of a homemade cart. They lived quietly, humbly and did not seek to burden anyone. Every Sunday men from all walks of life attended weekly Bible study to hear a self-educated, elderly man explain deep truths of the Bible coupled with his personal wisdom. Mr. Henry had something to share with others but most of all he shared the key of humility to a community. People will interrupt their busy lives and rearrange their schedules to learn about the truth of humility. The key of humility is not something you teach. Humility is something you live. Henry Watts thought more of others and little about himself. He lived humility. You could easily see it.

Someone said ‘humility is giving God and others the credit for your success”. Yet more often, I have heard others proclaim, “I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps”. That is just another way of saying I did it by myself and I did it my way. There is little truth in those statements. 

Someone helped each of us to put on our first pair of boots, pull them up and lace them. Boots need to fit and there is a proper boot for the occasion.   There are boots for formal occasions, boots for work, boots for combat, boots to protect you from the venomous evil of creatures, and boots to protect from the elements of the world. The truth is we learned to wear boots because someone taught us about selecting the appropriate boots and proper fit. Humility like boots is something you wear. It is a part of you. A leader is not completely dressed unless you are clothed in humility and always thinking about others first.

Mama Maggie Gobran was introduced at the 2011 Global Leadership Summit. The very first quality you notice about her is humility.  

Mama Maggie, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and former professor lived a very affluent lifestyle and was sheltered from poverty and the misfortunate. In 1989, this humble woman gave it all up to become a consecrated servant to those who live in Cairo’s slums. This world leader daily lives her humility.  Her unique life demonstrates servant leadership through humility. It is the key that opens the door to life for others. Humble leadership prefers to improve the quality of life for those you lead.

Leaders who are marked by true humility strive to improve the lives of others while seeking no recognition for their own achievements.  

In my next blog, I will tell you about the greatest compliment I ever received. I am going to get another cup of that wonderful Community Coffee!