A quick off-ramp from our Integrity focus for a word on Influence from our close friend, Steve Toth.
As an up-and-coming young professional, I just wanted to fit in. Specifically, I wanted to fit in with the president of the company, and the rest of the over-achieving workaholics he ran with. Work was my #1 idol, and making money, the bling-bling fruit of my labor! Work hard-play hard was my motto; but frankly the “play hard” part got lost somewhere… I was consumed by the cash and status surrounding my definition of success at work and in life.
Much like me in my early career, the young professionals in our workplaces just want to “fit in”, as well. Maybe they have a role model parent to emulate, or maybe a leader at work they choose to identify with. They might choose the path of the workaholic, placing work on top of their list of idols. Who will help guide them? It has to be us (the 35+ crowd)!
So, what’s our role? What are we doing to encourage the next generation of leaders to pick a healthy, contributing, and sustainable path? More specifically, what steps can we follow to lead the next gen to a better life and career?
- Choose to invest. Making this simple choice will help you recognize opportunities to influence as they cross your path. This is very easy; just decide!
- Move your feet – invite a next gen to lunch and get to know them. You won’t get permission to speak into their lives if you don’t know them and they don’t know you.
- Be transparent; those watching you will find your honesty attractive and enduring. You may even find a new level of humility in the process…
We have a job to do, and it’s a job beyond our daily deliverables. Jesus wrote “To whom much has been given, much is expected.” (Luke 12:48) One of our life’s most important roles is to help lead the next generation to find their greatest contributions …
In the soup with you, Steve
Resource: Becoming a Coaching Leader – Daniel Harkavy
This is a guest post by Steve Toth. He is a husband, father of two wonderful children, and the business unit leader at Novar. He was the marketplace teacher at our recent Eight to Five event focused on INTEGRITY, one of the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work. His teaching is available to you now in Video, Podcast, and Executive Summary formats.
