On a recent edition of the national news, they interviewed Johnny Lang, a band instructor recently inducted into the National Band Conductors’ Hall of Fame, located in Troy, Alabama. Something Mr. Lang said was very compelling. Before I quote him, can you recall who was the teacher who had the most impact on your life? The one who said something that changed how you looked at yourself? The one who helped you turn the corner…or maybe pulled you out of the pile to separate yourself from the pack?
Mr. Lang’s picture hangs with the big dogs of band conductors like John Phillip Sousa. But here is an unassuming guy who, as the story goes, changed lives and had the kind of positive impact on others leaders should aspire to have with their employees. He said, “I think ‘teacher’ is the greatest word in the English language, next to ‘mother.’ I want to remembered as a teacher.”
I still have tucked away the written words my high school physics teacher gave to me my senior year, “A candle flickers before it burns its brightest flame.” Back then, I attributed little meaning to these nine words. Yet as I grew, struggled and worked even harder to succeed, they came back to me and became words I shared to inspire others. Mr. White was more a teacher and less a physics instructor. In my senior year when many that age are trying to figure out their next steps, he was a humorous guiding light in the high school darkness. I learned more about life, philosophy and choices to make than I did about physics. He would have made a great boss, and in an odd way, he was one.
Who was the boss, manager or mentor that had the most impact on your life? The one who still brings a smile to your face and inspires you to be more? The one who nurtured you, challenged you, expected more of you than you knew you were capable of? The one who “taught” you. The one who nurtured you? Can you recall?
Who have you inspired to become more? I keep coming back to one of my favorite leadership quotes from centuries ago. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more and become more, you are a leader.” Maybe this quote of John Quincy Adams should have read…“You are a teacher.”
Now…who are you teaching?