“No man is so insignificant as to be sure his example can do no hurt.” Lord Clarendon
Rather a negative thought that one, but easily turned around to put a positive spin on.
A few weeks ago, I was holidaying with my family in the Canadian Rockies, soaking in all the grandeur and beauty of our magnificent surroundings. As holidays go, it was pretty close to perfect, and we were all particularly struck by the friendliness, good organisation and good service wherever we went.
As we drove around, I found myself being particularly grateful for all the nameless people who had made it possible – from the early explorers who had braved the unknown and harsh conditions to find the different passes we climbed, to the people who had built the roads and even the people who cleaned the amenities in our various campsites. Nothing we experienced would have been possible without the contribution of every single one of them!
As I reflected on that, my thought expanded and I realised that no matter how dispensable they were considered, or how small a part they played in the overall scheme of things, every slave that contributed to the building of the pyramids had contributed to a legacy to be proud of. And I realised, that no matter who we are or what we do, we all have an important part to play in something.
It doesn’t matter what one’s role in life is, how grandiose one’s job-title or how menial the job description, how stimulating the exercise or how tedious the task, everything we do has a consequence and it should therefore have a purpose. How foolish it is then not to make the best we can of it, for our legacy is in the things we do.
I would therefore restate Lord Clarendon’s remark and say, “No man is so insignificant that he doesn’t leave a legacy of some good!” That leads to a whole new train of thought – particular if one is a manager or leader.