For years, I believed my work was the most important thing I would ever build.
For years, I believed my work was the most important thing I would ever build.
I don’t believe that anymore.
Over the past two weeks, Joy and I travelled across Canada.
Thousands of kilometres.
Airports.
Rental cars.
Living rooms.
Lakes.
Backyards.
Restaurants.
Coffee shops.
Some conversations lasted hours.
Others lasted only a few minutes.
We visited my parents.
Spent time with my daughter.
Caught up with my brothers and extended family.
Shared meals with friends I hadn’t seen in years.
Met with colleagues who have become lifelong friends.
Even found time to sit quietly on a lake with a fishing rod in my hand, thinking instead of doing.
Somewhere along the way, I was reminded of something that leadership can make us forget.
Our careers create opportunities.
But relationships give those opportunities meaning.
The schools we lead will eventually have new leaders.
The organizations we build will continue without us.
The presentations will end.
The meetings will be forgotten.
The people we love won’t always be waiting.
That doesn’t make our work less important.
It reminds us why the work matters in the first place.
I’m boarding another flight today, heading back to Thailand.
I’m returning with new ideas, new energy, and a notebook full of reflections.
But the greatest thing I brought home from this trip wasn’t a new leadership insight.
It was a renewed appreciation for the people I get to share this life with.
Leadership isn’t ultimately about what you build.
It’s about who you build it for.
Who is someone you need to make more time for?
Thomas Midbo Real Hryhirchuk Perveen CrawfordDerek StribbellTerry StribbellCorey BraaksmaRebecca Stribbell
