How To Create Lasting Impact In Your Leadership
Time is one of the most misunderstood tools we have as leaders. It is possible to use time to our advantage and we will find out how below. We all know what it is. We all feel like we do not have enough of it. Most leaders I talk to feel stretched thin already. You might even be thinking, I do not even have enough time to get through today, let alone think about culture and long term growth and vision. I understand that, and have spent some time there before. Here is what I have learned both in business and in life: everything meaningful takes time. Muscle takes time to build, trust takes time to earn, character takes time to forge and culture takes time to grow.
Everything begins with a seed. Leadership begins with a seed. It is not just a title, it is a decision. A decision to step forward. A decision to take responsibility. A decision to go first when others hesitate. That decision and potential from executing is the seed itself. What fascinates me is two people can be given the same opportunity, the same team, the same resources and produce completely different outcomes. One builds something healthy and strong. The other builds something that struggles to survive. Why is that? The seed was the same. The difference is what happened between planting and harvest. It is the — between spring—fall. We all have that same — by the way, it separates the year we were born and the year we die. Culture is not what is written on the wall. It is what grows in the day to day moments.
Average leaders plant the seed and move on. They assume that because they said something once, it will automatically take root. They show up later with their fingers crossed. Sometimes it does. Most of the time it only grows to a certain point. Great leaders tend the seed daily. They show up for it. And I want to be clear about something; they do not show up for their ego. They show up for the seed and make it about the culture, not about themselves. They water it with consistency. They protect it with standards. They correct it when it drifts. They encourage it when it struggles and they do not just talk about the vision, they live it. This is discipline. Showing up repeatedly to nurture something that may not show visible results for a long time.
Eventually harvest comes. It always does. And when it does, it reveals everything. You will see whether trust grew or whether resentment grew. You will see whether ownership developed or whether excuses multiplied. You will see whether people feel valued or whether they feel used. Harvest does not lie. But here is the part I believe most leaders miss. Harvest is not the finish line, it is an opportunity.
Average leaders enjoy the fruit and move on. They hit the goal and chase the next one and celebrate the result but forget to reinvest in the people who made it possible. Great leaders take the fruit and plant more seeds and pour back into their people. They celebrate the wins with the team. They develop new leaders and refine the standard. They also cast a bigger vision. Human beings crave meaning. We want to know that what we are building matters. But we also crave celebration and we need to know that when we aimed at something, whether we hit it. Without celebration, people burn out. Without vision, people drift. Sustainable leadership requires both. Plant the seed. Tend it daily. Endure the seasons. Celebrate the harvest. Reinvest the fruit. That is how culture becomes strong. That is how people begin to follow not just because they have to, but because they want to. This is where legacy begins.
I know over the course of my life there will be many harvest seasons. Promotions, wins, and losses. When I look back, I do not want to say I was simply a manager who kept things moving. I want to know I was one of the great leaders; someone who planted intentionally, tended consistently and reinvested faithfully. We are all given the seed. The real question is not whether something will grow. The question is how much will grow and to what degree. If this resonates with you, I want to challenge you to pause this week and evaluate your leadership.
What is actually growing around you? If you feel like something is off, it may not be the team. It may be that the seed needs tending from you. Leadership is not about being perfect, because none of us are. It is about being intentional with those following you.