“Bet on leadership. Growing leaders build growing organizations.”

If you haven’t noticed, PalletOne and Sunbelt have been growing since joining UFP. While I have the honor of having the big title in our organization, it’s pretty clear that we can only meet the challenges and opportunities presented to us by having good leaders throughout our organization.

It’s my ambition that everyone who receives a check from us is in a position to receive the extra dividend of being led well and the opportunity to develop their leadership ability.

Using and developing your leadership muscles takes a certain amount of guts.

You have to speak up. Sometimes you see an issue that needs to be addressed. Sometimes you see a way to solve the issue; but it’s not your job to fix it. A leader addresses things that need to be addressed when they see them.

You have to take risks. Often leadership is trying new stuff. Taking on the unfamiliar. Volunteering to take on a hard task. They say leadership is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

You have to honor leadership when you find it. When I first enter a new environment, I look to discover where the leadership is coming from. When I find it, I get behind it. When I can’t find it, I try to see if I can offer it. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Support it when you see it. Provide it when it’s missing.

Lead more often. The more you lead, the better you get. The better you get, the more you lead. Your world is full of leadership needs. The world aches for leaders to feel the void. Step up. You’re needed. The results are fulfilling.