Michael Nichols | Leadership Made Simple
Leadership Made Simple
When you’re not prepared for the unexpected, you’ll be derailed by it.
The phone rang.
Dad, Can I stay over here and eat dinner?
I thought for a moment – dinner is the one time every day we spend together as a family.
Baby, it’s best if you come home and eat with the family. Then you can go back and play with your friend.
It was quiet for a moment – But Dad, they said I could stay.
I know, baby. But mom and I would like to spend some time with you at…
OK, Bye. Silence.
“We all want experiences that we can be proud of, but what we fail to realize is that the best moments may be happening right now.”
In his newest book, The In-Between, Jeff Goins writes, “Maybe the good stuff isn’t ahead or behind us. Maybe it’s somewhere in-between.”
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(Take a few seconds and watch the book trailer – it’s the best I’ve ever seen!)
On Saturday, I will celebrate my 40th birthday. There are moments in every life that seem to demand a pause – for reflection on the past experiences and to envision a future that can be. For me, turning 40 is one of those moments.
Looking back, I’ve done a lot of waiting in my life. More than I ever expected. There have been many delays, detours, and postponements. Looking forward I see more of the same – more waiting. More in-between. And that’s ok, because the in-between is “a place to slow down. Where we learn to be present in an increasingly noisy world. It’s the place where we learn to let go.” And live.
The most influential people in the world? Who are they?
More than 20 years ago, I heard a college professor say over and over throughout on of my courses – “Nothing is real until its personal.” What he was saying was, unless something has personal significance or touches your life in a tangible way, it won’t mean to you what it means to others.
Similarly, those people and events that hold personal significance to you may not be valued by others.
One’s influence is often directly related to their level of impact in your life or work.
Hundreds of people have helped me along the way. So it’s difficult to limit a list of people who have profoundly influenced my life.
So at the risk of overlooking some, here are the 5 most influential people in my world:
If you’re a leader, more than likely you have a ton of free time. And I’ve noticed that, when it comes to free time, the most effective leaders give it away.
Leaders like Michael Hyatt, Seth Godin, Jeff Goins, and Jonathan Milligan (and there are many others) do two things with their free time:
