Prescription for Success
By Lisa Hill DiFusco
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It is a paradox to give away what you want the most, and then receive more of what you want in return.
I remember Oprah Winfrey giving this advice many years ago at the end of her show. “Whatever it is you want,” she said, “more love, more time, more money… find someone (something) else to give it to… with a joyful heart… and see what happens.”
Sixty-five time best-selling author, Ken Blanchard, spoke at last year’s Global Leadership Summit VIP luncheon at the DoubleTree and discussed the same from his newest book Servant Leadership in Action. “To be truly happy,” he said, “serve others.” Give to others what you want for yourself.
In this, our second edition of the Rochester Leadership Digest, we are privileged to feature three guest contributors, all Rochester leaders, one of whom is Nelson Leenhouts- long-time local business owner who describes Servant Leadership as key to his business and happiness.
It’s worth thinking about!
The inverted triangle, that is the company leader on the bottom and the “worker-bees” on the top, demonstrates the Servant Leadership model, and is what is also behind the success of Chick-fil-A.
A few years ago I had the honor of meeting one of their VPs, Mark Miller, several-time author and co-author with Ken Blanchard at a leadership conference. I was sitting at a lunch table placed in the open air, a good 5-minute walk from where lunch was served. Once at my table and all set to enjoy a delicious meal, I realized I forgot to grab something to drink. When Mark came by, he no sooner introduced himself than he asked, “Hey I notice you’re missing something to drink. Would you like me to get it for you?”
Now mind you, I had never met this person before, and no sooner was he introducing himself, than he was offering to walk 10 minutes – five back to the buffet table and five back to our lunch table – to get a stranger something to drink.
Other local businesses share a similar philosophy of service. Recently I sent one of our Airbnb guests to Mayer Paint & Hardware. Those of you who have been there know just what I mean – a hardware gem on the corner of Winton and Blossom Road. He was looking for something to fix his babyseat for his ride back to Ohio. I told him to go to Mayer’s because I knew their customer service is really excellent, and they’d “fix ’em up.” They did, and our guest came back very surprised to have received just what he needed!
These successful leaders have something in common. Giving to someone else that which you most want, is not just a recipe for business success and prosperity, it is a fundamental principle which results in greater happiness, connection, peace, and joy.
Lisa Hill DiFusco is the President and Founder of The LightHeart Institute, a for-profit, 32 year-old Rochester company whose mission is to foster an upward spiral of health and prosperity. Through a holistic lens it offers services and programs in leadership development, holistic/integrative psychotherapy, functional medicine consultancy-care and spiritual growth.