Do you see success in your future? Maybe you’re wondering what you’ll have to do to achieve it. Have you thought if you worked hard enough it will eventually pay off? If you have, you’d be mistaken. “Success doesn’t come from what you do, it comes from who you are” - JSP Milton Hershey was an entrepreneur who achieved great things and amassed a great fortune in his lifetime. It’s said that his father Henry was somewhat of a visionary himself, but was short on perseverance, and apparently had a less than stellar work ethic. Milton Hershey dropped out of school when he was 13, around age 17 he borrowed $150 from his aunt, and opened his own candy business in Philadelphia. He also had a few failed business attempts. Then, at the age of 27, he started the Lancaster Caramel Company, and within a few years he was distributing his candy nationally. He sold his business in 1900, and soon began building a new facility for manufacturing his own chocolate recipe (which he’d been working on for several years). His new facility opened in 1905. His brand of chocolates and a list of innovative ideas revolutionized the candy industry worldwide. As Hershey’s fortune grew, he envisioned a new community in which his employees could live and work. He built the homes, schools, churches, parks and other recreational facilities. He even built a transportation system for them to travel to and from work. When you consider what he had done for those who worked for him, you must believe that he cared enough for his people, as to place them ahead of the money his business was generating. Success is a Lifestyle “Wealth, notoriety, place, and power are no measures of success whatsoever. - H.G. Wells You see, Hershey was not an “overnight success,” that does not exist. He worked hard for more than 25 years before making his fortune, and continued to be productive for many years after. Yet, he was already successful before he made his fortune. He became a success the day he made his purpose his number one priority, and allowed it to dominate his thoughts and his "to do" list, every day for the rest of his life. He continued to be successful because he never deviated from it. “All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others” - Danny Thomas We mistakenly think that all our hard work, capitalizing on the opportunities when they present themselves, and making the key decisions along the way, brings us success. The truth is, we’re successful on the front end by aligning our life with our purpose. Success is a chosen lifestyle of service, that brings us to a place of healthy relational, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial prosperity. “Success is the quality of Character that produces the quality of work” - JSP Successful leaders understand that more than position or wealth, their first responsibility is to the well-being of their people. Developing and equipping them to reach their potential is part of what makes them a success. It was Milton Hershey who said “Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising in the world.” Will you make that quality decision to honestly value, respect, connect, and provide your people with everything they need, to be the best they can be? If so, you are a success.
*** This article was authored by John Picarello, Chief Leadership Officer at Lions Pride Leadership Co.***