The Epiphany

I am blessed to work with a wide variety of transformative leaders. Every week I learn more and more from them. They are in higher education and medicine and business and science and they are each building strong leaders that lead transformational change. I get to watch these leaders get clearer and stronger every day. They eliminate the ambiguity, and they find and focus on what matters.

So you can imagine my joy when one determined leader who has been hitting a string of home runs lately, suddenly came out with this:

“It’s a weird thing when you spend your whole life measuring it by productivity and grades only to realize that your entire job is about your impact on other people—which is immeasurable!”

Your entire job is about your impact on other people.

Wow.  This was such a powerful epiphany that I asked him to repeat it. We both wrote it down. We both reflected on it. We both saw the wisdom in it.

It reminded me of Clayton Christensen’s question in How Will You Measure Your Life? Success isn’t about titles, money, or promotions. It’s not even about spreadsheets and rubrics. It’s humbling to think that all the metrics we chase at work are only a small part of the picture—the KPIS’s, the goals, the strategic road maps, the leading indicators are all important, but they are not the true measure. The real measure of success—both in life and leadership—is often invisible. True fulfillment comes from relationships and the impact you have on the people around you.

The real measure of success—both in life and leadership—is often invisible.

That idea is backed by research from Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall. They found that people don’t want constant feedback or endless metrics—they want to feel part of something bigger and to feel seen as individuals.

“What we, as team members, want from you, our team leader, is firstly that you make us feel part of something bigger, that you show us how what we are doing together is important and meaningful; and secondly, that you make us feel that you can see us, and connect to us, and care about us, and challenge us, in a way that recognizes who we are as individuals. We ask you to give us this sense of universality—all of us together—and at the same time to recognize our own uniqueness; to magnify what we all share, and to lift up what is special about each of us.”

Here’s the takeaway: productivity matters, but connection matters more. Team over Task. Leadership isn’t just what you build—it’s who you build.

Productivity matters. Connection matters more.

So next time you measure your success, ask:

·      Are my people feeling valued and seen?

·      Do they feel part of something meaningful?

·      Am I helping them grow?

If the answer is yes, congratulations—you’re a transformative and determined leader. You are building organizations, teams, and most importantly, people. And there’s no spreadsheet for that.

It's immeasurable.