How Do You Want Your Eulogy To Read?

Anyone reading this is a leader, be it an administrative assistant or the CEO, be it the janitor or teacher or the Superintendent, be it the “C” Team player or the head coach, be it the parishioner or the pastor, be it the smartest kid in the class or the kid that struggles at schoolwork, be it the husband or the wife. You get the picture right!?

Leadership is simply serving others, by being a positive influence on those around us, and helping make the people around us better each day. The daily habits of how we act, walk, and talk is our greatest opportunity of being a leader through our actions. Average companies or leaders give their people something to work on. Innovative companies or people give their people something to work towards. Leaders don’t give people tasks, they give people core values, how we behave, and key strategies and objectives to work toward. What are you and your people or your kids working towards? Have you communicated opportunities or objectives for your people or your kids to work toward? And not just the daily activities of going from point A to point B, but deep actionable behaviors and habits to work on. It is a simple fact that we imitate the habits of those around us. And by shaping the tribe or team you belong to, you often shape your habits just by imitation or by being the example. If you focus on the daily processes and habits, the outcomes you desire will happen. Forget your focus on outcomes, and focus on the daily processes, habits, and behaviors!

Success is the result of specific habits of action. Creating value, touching other people’s lives, putting others people’s interests first, being real, and having the humility to stay open to receiving and learning. We are only as sick as our secrets, but I also believe we are only as healthy as our habits. Destroy your bad habits and integrate your new ones for at least 66 days. We can all wire in new habits, we often just don’t stick with it long enough!

If you want to move into leadership, start acting like a leader today. If you are a part of our team at AMC or in the Lindberg Family, we talk about our actions, habits, and behaviors routinely, not just how we execute tasks.

We talk about the behavior that goes into being successful. Because our behavior will define the level of success we have as a team or a family. Things like we never lie, we love to fail and we don’t bury problems we get all problems on the table and talk about them, we humbly check our egos at the door and everyone is accountable to everyone, we must do what we say we are going to do, we work very hard to always be kind, we always work to choose our attitude and mood because bad attitudes and bad moods will not be tolerated. Do any of these things have to do with the execution of doing veterinary work? Or how we get things done around the Lindberg House? No! But they have everything to do with how we behave when doing them that sets the tone for the culture in the business and at home. And everyone that does them according to our core values is a leader!

If you want to be a leader, start acting like a leader today! Value people, help your teammates and your family members win, and bring value to the team with your behavior today! Beyond the recommendations above, the following are a few actionable items for you to do, so that you can act like a leader today.

Give someone a handwritten note of thanks or appreciation for the great work they have done or how they have helped you win. Hand-written is much more sincere than a text, but if you text it, then text 10 people something.
Serve others around you today. Help them when you see they are struggling or need your help. Bring them a coffee or a drink of some kind to brighten their day. Not only go the extra mile with them but walk the extra mile with them by their side.
Let your voice be heard. In the next discussion, don’t sit there quietly not voicing your thoughts or concern, or options. Speak up. And if you are scared what you are going to say may sound stupid, then think through it a touch, but speak up because most often times what we have to say will bring value to the table. But also listen! If we never listen, we will find ourselves surrounded by no one before too long.
Volunteer your team to help others. Be it at work or home. In our world today, we are so self-centered in front of our screens that we aren’t seeing those around us that need help. Get off the screen and look to help more. The way you treat others or sit behind a screen not helping others is “screaming at others”.
Lastly, look at the tremendous examples set by other great people in your work or your community and how they have successfully helped others. Be a sponge and absorb their actions, attitudes, and behaviors. And take action!

Whether or not you want to lead people or inspire people as a leader, practicing these 5 things will get you more responsibility and move you up in your career! And doing these things at home will advance your family to places you have never been or seen! They will also make your eulogy quite memorable!! How do you want your eulogy to read!?