This is the first in a 10 part series I’ve titled L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P.  I’m going to share my thoughts about leadership using an acrostic.  One thought or word for each of the ten letters.  I hope you return each day, and are inspired to become a better leader!

L is for – LOVE WHAT YOU DO!

You have got to have a contagious passion for what you do.

If you don’t love what you are doing right now, for your career, those you are leading are going to know it and you are not going to have much of an influence over them, period.

Do you love your job, what you are doing or not?  Are you all in or no?  

I had the privilege of meeting Coach Shanahan at the Hall of Fame induction of Dan Marino, back in 2005. He was the head coach of the Broncos at the time. I met him here for a few quick seconds, but then my seat was two down from him for the whole ceremony! In between us, Gary Kubiak, now the head coach of the Texans! Coach Shanahan told me how sometimes he just wished he could coach high school football again, where its about the love of the game!

Do you love your job?  If you want to be a successful leader, you can’t sit on the fence about loving your job!  Either you do or you don’t.

Do you love your job so much that you have this kind of street sweeper mindset? 

I was volunteering at the Fred Jordan Mission down on skid row when I was in college, back in the late 90s.  I would go down there on Thursday to serve the less fortunate.  One of the homeless guys that was working there taught me a great lesson one week.

He was washing these table with passion and precision.  There was going to be another group coming through and I was amazed at how well he was doing his job.  He left no crumble on that table!  I asked him why he was cleaning it so well when another group was coming in.

He said, “Chris, Jesus might be coming in to have lunch in this next group.”  It BLEW me away.  This guy had some great perspective as a Christian.  And then he said this, one of the greatest leadership lessons I’ve ever learned.

“It’s alright if he doesn’t show, but my little sister might be here. I don’t want her eating on a table like that,” he said as he pointed at slimy table that someone else had supposedly cleaned.  That inspired me.  He LOVED his job!

Do you love yours?  This is the first step in being a true LEADER!

L is for – LOVE WHAT YOU DO!