Think about how you were helped in building a foundation for success early in your career and create the same foundation for others.
I have a very old home in Pennsylvania, built around 1910. For almost 25 years we’ve done our best to bring out the original, periodic character of the home. Last weekend, I walked into the kitchen and was struck by the sight of the original hardwood floors. For some reason, I thought about who walked these floors in 1915, 1933, 1949, 1965 and so on. My home, these floors were the foundation for people raising families and creating lives for themselves for almost 90 years before I showed up.
Earlier in my career, there were some wonderful leaders who were 20 years ahead of me in my career, who came before me but who walked the same career-building “floors” that I did. They took an interest in me, helped guide me and form my leadership style. There are many, many times each week when I go to work when I think of those leaders and am very thankful for what they did, and