In this issue, you are reading about people who made a choice. A choice to give, rather than take. A choice to stand up, rather than walk away. A choice to care about others, not just themselves. A choice to make a difference. A choice to make an impact.
Great communities do not create themselves; they are created by the people who live in them and who care enough to make the difficult choice of service above self and community needs above personal needs. They’re willing to invest time, energy, and money and risk their reputations in an effort to improve their community for everyone who lives there.
I’ve been teaching leadership for nearly 20 years and was recently asked to give my definition of a leader. Here is what I replied: “A leader is someone who tries to set a living example of what they hope their followers will one day become.” The people who have been chosen for an Impact Award are true leaders. They each set a living example of the passion, values, actions and choices of a leader who is deeply committed to their community. They have a vision for where they want to help take Gainesville, combined with the conviction, grit and persistence to stay focused on that vision for years or decades. They also have something very unique: the audacity to believe they can achieve that vision.
But, it is important to remember that they are actually no different than you and I, except by the choices they have made. Everyone in our community has the opportunity, if they are willing, to make an impact. Be it big or small, we all have the ability to make a positive difference in the lives of those we call our friends and neighbors — you simply have to make the choice.
So, while I celebrate the winners for their tireless work, generosity of heart and leadership, I reflect on these awards as a lesson to the rest of our community about how each of us can make a dramatic positive impact. So, I ask you, what are you passionate about? What do you love about our community that you want to protect, promote, and support, or what do you think is broken and needs to be fixed? What skills, abilities, ideas, and energy can you bring to a problem or opportunity in our community? What is your vision for Gainesville five, 10 or 20 years from today, and how can you play a role in making that vision a reality? But, who am I to think like this, you ask yourself? I’ll tell you: You are the person who can bring a new idea or make a connection that forever alters the course of our community. You are the person who can touch someone’s life and give them hope. You are the person who might start a new program or project that makes a thousand school children’s lives better. You are the person who can change everything. Remember that everyone who won this award was at one time an ordinary citizen who made an extraordinary decision to do something important, something big or something way out of their comfort zone, but most importantly, something they believed had to be done. So, I challenge you to make a bold choice: find a place where you want to make an impact and throw yourself at it with passion, love and determination. Yes, our community will be better for it, and so will you.
JOHN SPENCE has been recognized as one of the top 100 business thought leaders and one of the top 500 leadership development experts in the world. He is an international keynote speaker and management consultant and has written five books on business and life success. www.johnspence.com