I’ll start within,
Cultivating quality character,
Acting with integrity,
Listening with my heart,
Composed amid chaos,
A soul flooding forth with love.
I’ll reach out,
Caring and connecting,
Serving,
Engendering trust,
Building relationships,
Unleashing others who soar.
I’ll step up,
Saying “Yes,”
Choosing wisely,
Embracing change,
Striving for what’s right,
Pursuing our dreams.
I’ll leave a legacy,
A team of partners,
Companions with courage and character,
Leading and following,
Creators of worthy deeds,
Together undaunted.
I wrote this poem at the urging of son, Gregg, who thought it would be a fitting close for my latest book, Leadership Wisdom: Lessons from Poetry, Prose, and Curious Verse.
The poem traces the themes of the major sections of the book:
- Leading yourself first
- Leading others
- Leaving a leadership legacy
On a whim, I submitted it to the Festival for Poetry and recently was humbled to learn that the poem has been cited as “one of the best inspirational/motivational [poems] from the last 18 months.”
Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration in it too? I hope so.
–Bob Vanourek
Tools for You
- Leadership Derailers Assessment to help you identify what’s inhibiting your leadership effectiveness
- Personal Values Exercise to help you determine and clarify what’s most important to you
- Alignment Scorecard to help you assess your organization’s level of alignment
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Gregg Vanourek and Bob Vanourek are leadership practitioners, teachers, and award-winning authors (and son and father). They are co-authors of Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations, a winner of the International Book Awards. Check out their Leadership Derailers Assessment or get their monthly newsletter. If you found value in this, please forward it to a friend. Every little bit helps!
