The Ripple Effect of Leadership

This is me with my 10-year-old niece, Sammi.

When someone asked her what I do for work, she said:

“He gives presents to children at Christmas, and he travels around the world to help people in need.”

She didn’t mention leading a successful fractional CFO firm.
She didn’t mention helping business leaders all around the country get financial clarity, grow profits and gain peace of mind.

Rather, she described what she’s experienced:
• Serving with our Fulling team each year at the Salvation Army to distribute gifts to underserved families.
• Hearing my mission trip stories from Honduras, Ethiopia, and Kenya
• Watching how people are treated when no one is watching

It reminded me of something important—we are always being watched.
-Not in a creepy way.
-In a human way.

People form opinions of our work not by our titles, but by our actions.

Often by the ripples we didn’t even know we created.

Every one of us has impact.
-Sometimes on clients.
-Sometimes on coworkers.
-Sometimes on a 10-year-old who’s quietly paying attention.

Author & Leadership expert John Maxwell says, “People will summarize your life in one sentence—pick it now.”

I think I’m going to have Sammi help pick mine.