Give More Than You Take: Investing in Yourself and Your Community

Great leaders invest in people! Investing in others creates margin and return. We understand and value the intrinsic benefit of helping someone who can’t help us back. Some call it serendipity, some call it luck, and others may call it divine intervention; but, this investing creates a balance. Investors create an asset by putting value into others. Internally, we are all aware of this. That’s why we happily give to charities and other non-profit organizations. That’s why we support causes. We know it works that way. Give More Than You Take However, most of us have areas where we tend to take more than we give. Left to ourselves, we become paranoid and self-focused. If there is no one else around to focus on, our nature is to become selfish. There are exceptions, I know. But, in my experience with people, I’ve seen this over and over again. Others expand our vision and our horizon. They force us to think about something other than ourselves. Investment Builds Community The act of investing in others builds community. Community or common unity is a place where everyone is connected to each other by something stronger than geography. We become mutual investors when we understand the affects of our actions and develop an attitude of creating our life rather than reacting to it. A community of peers investing in one another is a joy. You can’t wait to be around those friends because they always invest in you. But if you always go looking for them to invest in you, eventually they won’t be there. You must engage for the purpose of investing. They will then come looking for you! Both you and your community become more valuable when you give of yourself; hoarding, reacting, and consuming help no one! Community of Investors = Culture As a result, great leaders create a culture of leadership by their investment. They model the behavior that builds relationships and these relationships tend to fuel achievement. Investors follow one another, too. People are challenged to invest by the investment of others. Have you ever noticed how winning leaders attract winning leaders? Great people are revealed by the investment of others. Most of us need a hand up. We need some help. We need people to take some risk and invest in us. Great people, and not-so-great people, are revealed by the investment. You never know how truly great someone might be, until you invest in them. Great people are revealed by the investment of others. You may know an exception, but how many self-made leaders are there these days? Against tremendous odds, many people have challenged their environment with little help or resources. However, few would tell you they didn’t need or want the help. We all know the value of others investing in us. We all know and want the investment. Become the investor and apply that principle to discover the truly great around you. So What? Where (or in whom) do you need to increase your investment? Where are you selfish and weak? Where are you reacting more and inventing less? Your investment may be as simple as a thank you, or as complex as a change in your lifestyle. Don’t let another day pass without examining your portfolio and adjusting your investments to create results. Your community and your sphere of influence are counting on you!