A Higher Calling Matters

Tuesday, I had the privilege of attending Dave Ramsey's business leadership seminar in Raleigh, N.C. Ramsey, a best-selling financial author and talk-show host, addressed the jam-packed auditorium with one central message- a higher calling matters.

Here are a few of my take-aways from Ramsey's program:

* To be a true leader, you must have a "servant mentality." A servant leader is one who is constantly putting the needs of others before his own.
* As a leader, your responsibility is to awaken the possibility in others. Your power comes from empowering others.
* You cannot lead without passion.
* Why you are doing business matters more than what or how. It's the work that matters (Colossians 3:23).
* Don't let your principles change, but frequently change your processes. Seth Godin said in one of his books, "When you fall in love with the system, you lose the ability to grow."
* Follow the golden rule at all times (Matthew 7:12).
* People matter. Customers, vendors, team members and competitors are all people. Everyone has a story and everyone matters.

When it comes down to it, Ramsey shares the same idea that we have here at Signal Hill-- there is a much bigger picture to what we're doing here. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day fight to get it all done, but we can't lose sight of the "why." So do whatever it takes to remind yourself that what you're doing today has an impact on not only your future, but your customer's future and the future of those around you.