Looking for a topic for a new success talk I stumbled across a book that I read several years ago. The title caught my eye, You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader as I thought, that is so true. Somewhere along the way as a society we have begun to think we need degrees, letters behind our names, or other credentials to be a leader of people.
Most of us can without a doubt think of some influential people in our lives who have stood up for principles when the chips were down making all the difference in the world. From our “uneducated” mom standing up to an adult who is belittling her child, to a coach who spends extra time with a player because they are much more than a victory to them, or a person who lends a hand to a stranger on the street without any way of the favor being returned. This is leadership!
Author Mark Sanborn in his book gives 6 principles of leading without a title:
Principle 1: The Power of Self Mastery,
Principle 2: The Power of Focus,
Principle 3: The Power With People,
Principle 4: The Power of Communication,
Principle 5: The Power of Execution,
Principle 6: The Power of Giving.
Sanborn describes these 6 principles that effective leaders exhibit. As I reviewed the list I realized, everyone can do these 6!
Throughout our lives we have most-likely had people who without any title behind their name have made all the difference in the world to us. Myself and the readers of this blog would love to hear about the people in your life who have been unsung heroes to you. Tell us their story and how they have impacted yours and others’ lives in the hope that it will inspire others to stand up and be the change so desperately needed in this world.
Steve Leurquin Leadership 
Well I Have had this asked of me a few times in the last few months and of course its my parents hands down. I do have a few others in my heart, like my baseball coach, who encouraged me to be the best ball player out there as the only girl on the team. A cousin who showed me what hard work was after she became a single mom ( this is a summer I spent at her house to babysit) as she worked full time to support her two (twin) little girls , and also going to school. My Dad always had me be apart of everything. Teaching me to play baseball, football, riding motorcycles, fishing, even changing the oil in the car. With all that, working hard to provide for our family. My Mommy, what can I say, always serving others, awesome cook, very hard worker, my shoulder to cry on( and many times that was). Showing me how to be a woman of God. I have made so many ridiculously dumb decisions in my life,and yet I still had their love and support. I still do. I am blessed!
One of my aunts has had a major impact on my life. She has been a mentor in my spiritual life and basically “held the line” and expected the best from me. When you know someone sees who you can be, it inspires you to live up to that. I also have her to thank for keeping me in church when I was a little kid. Sometimes my mom would have to work Sunday mornings to keep the bills paid and my aunt would still come and pick me up for church. She really is like a second mom to me.
Great post, Steve.
So the focus is on “6-this”?!?…. Seriously, I know i don’t give my folks the credit they deserve for the leaders they were to the 5 of us kids as we were growing up. My mom (you’ve met her a couple times), quit school in 9th. grade in order to get a job to help put food on the table (wanna talk sacrifices of people from another generation? – but that’s another story). So some might unwittingly call her ‘uneducated’, yet she raised the 5 of us with a firm but loving hand and gave us a great moral foundation upon which to build our lives. Looking back, she is the epitome of the term ‘unconditional love’.
Then there my father, taught us all a lot about work ethic (by example, of course) and also fiscal intelligence! He created more with less than any “E-quadrant person I know!
I’m still being blessed to this day as they are both happily married after 61+ years (yet another lesson via example)!!!! I could go on and on, but suffice it to say: my folks are definitely leaders no matter how you attempt to define it.
Thanks Steve,
John Graff
The man who impacted me did have a title. He was the president of a small company of about 10 employees. But he did not impact me through that position. The title he used to impact me through was “my friend’s dad.” Rod Miller was the dad of one of my really good friends from high school. I really didn’t know him very well, but I knew my friend has nice parents.
After I got out of high school my parents got divorced and my mom moved to Texas. With everything that had just happened – I was not able to handle living in another ‘home’ with just one parent. So, I started staying at someone else’s house. But that didn’t feel like home either.
Let’s just say I didn’t really have my life in order at that point. As far as the 8Fs were concerned – on a scale of 1-10 I would have scored less than a 3 in all 8 catagories. Rod and his wife noticed this and they knew that I didn’t feel at home where I was living. So they invited me to move in with them and stay in my friend’s old room after she had gone off to college. Rod made a commitment (not out loud to me, but to himself and to God) to help me through a very akward stage of my life.
To make a very long story not so short – through waking up early to work out together, teaching me how to do some construction jobs around the house, teaching me how to change the oil in a car, leaving his family home on Thursday nights to drive an hour away to go to church and eat Subway with me, and many, many other events – he showed me how to take responsability of my life and how to become a man. A man after God’s own heart.
Its hard to measure the impact someone like that has on a life. Not only has Rod Miller changed my life forever going forward. But because of the man that he helped me to become – I have impacted others. Both through my life and also just through my story. Now I know that my role is to make sure that I pay it forward!
Thanks Steve for your great blog and – if you ever see this – thanks Rod for all the time you took to come along side me and help me out!!
Great comment, Adam. Rod and his wife, Gail, have had an amazing impact on both of us (once I came into the picture). They practice principle number 6, the power of giving, in so many ways. I remember Gail altering a dress for me, making decorations for our wedding, making a beautiful tree skirt for our first Christmas tree and so many other wonderful things. They are a very giving couple. Thanks, Adam, for sharing part of your story with others.
I have seen and heard this story by Rod himself (when I asked questions) what a great man and role model he is for you……. A true point man for the home!!
Great topic…..gonna have to put some thought into it due to so many who have made a significant impact in my life 🙂
Ok, one “moment” that a person who made a significant impact on me was during my freshman year in high school. I was doing poorly academically and had a very unmotivated attitude in the weight lifting program for our football team. So needless to say, I wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box.
It took place in my Industrial Arts class. My shop class Teacher Mr. O’ Neil, observed a 6’04″…320lb student bully of the entire school; picking on me in class near a flat work bench area (this had been going on for several weeks). I finally had enough and grabbed his guy’s throat, thus, slamming him onto his back, off his feet, and onto the table (no top 5 books then). All the other students were in shock (so was I) and Mr. O’ Neil came running over and caught my hand as I was about to unleash a punch.
As Mr. O’ Neil did so I turned around and he said “ok, its over…” and we went back into his office. I apologized to him and he said…. “Steve, never apologize for defending yourself, you were not in the wrong at all….. I was just saving [him] from getting a massive beating by you….”
I had realized that standing up for yourself is very important, even when you don’t think others are watching (later on, a lot of other students thanked me for putting this bully in his place). I’m not promoting violence/fighting yet that moment had a profound affect on me, and still to this very day. Mr. O’ Neil encouraged me every day to focus on improving and helping others, getting in the weight room, and focus on my academics/learning.
Talk about a person of influence with no title!! My grades went up, I became very active in the weight room, and it paid off in the football too (a bonus!). And as for standing up against a bully, this was one reason I got started in Law Enforcement …to stand up against these bullies; for those who cannot…. and now being a part of the LIFE development program to focus on learning and self-mastery, this is crazy how stuff works out !!!
Great story Steve! Thanks for sharing. Mr. O’Neil sounds like a great man and his influence is having a ripple affect to this day.
BTW – Sometimes people just need to be set straight!
Love this post Steve, thank you!
You are an inspiration, as always!
Steve, I love how you have gone from a classroom teacher to a teacher of LIFE. You truly are making a difference! Keep up the great work. George
Great post S!!! Without a dought, hands down MY MOM!!! I am the oldest of 4 and my mom raised me to be a leader in EVERYTHING I PUT MY MIND TO!! As many of you know I am dyslexic(by the way who ever thought that was a good way of spelling a word to discribe people who cant read should really eat some nails) anyway I was still not reading by the 4th grade and had slipped between the cracks. My mom did everything she could to catch me up and give me every tool she could to help me. I had tutors in school out of school you name it. I would study after milking cows at night for 3 hours and struggle for a C average and she always acted like they were straight A’s!! She would actually tell me that I would some day be very successful “because I could do anything I put my mind to”. My mom would actually read my books for book reports and tape herself reading so when I came home and she was in the barn I still had her reading along with me (this was still in high school). She would come to ALLLLL my horse shows even though she doesnt like horses! She was there when I got married and when I had all of my babies. She held my hand for 14 hours when Mike had the tumor removed. When I am away on buisness trips and she is watching my kidos, I call her and we cry on the phone, because she knows Im growing again and going to hit another big goal, she knows Im going to make changes in this crazy world and she tells me this on a regular basis. Today I talk to my mom everyday shes texting now and its kinda scary but cool!! She tells me to get busy and build my buisness faster so that she can travel the world with Mike and I. And be my kids tutor/teacher. And she also wants to live in Florida when it gets cold!!! My mom is my best friend and thats why she is my hero! Oh I have a really cool dad too!
Thanks Emily, Your Mom is a great example of someone who leads by serving. I think your mom should run for a political office so others have a great mold to follow.
Steve,
Great post. I have one of several that I could mention, but my eighth grade wrestling coach made a significant difference in my life many years ago. My best friend, who did not go out for sports, had talked me into quitting wrestling about a week into the season. I walked up the stairs to the wrestling room in my coat, prepared to walk home after I broke the news to the coach. I can’t remember the exact discussion, but he definitely used the Socratic method; asking me a series of questions, and then using my answers to inspire me to go get dressed for practice. I remember definitively walking down the stairs, looking my friend in the eyes, and without breaking step, confidently said, “I’m stayin.” Three months later, I vividly remember warming up with my coach before the All City championship match at 148 lbs. He put his arm around my shoulder and asked, “So, are you glad you didn’t quit three months ago?”, I responded, “Ya, Coach, I’m glad. Thank you.” I have never been tempted to quit anything since. I’d say he made an impact. I can’t even remember his name, but he answered to “Coach”.
Kevin Hamm
Kevin, this is an awesome story! Thanks for mentors and leaders like your coach who keep us from “jumping off a cliff”!