The Exuberant Accountant - Scott Heintzelman

By now I am sure everyone has read about Illinois Governor’s Rod Blagojevich arrest on corruption charges.  Here is a person elected to lead a state who should have been focused on doing what is best for the people of Illinois, but instead (at least based on the wiretap transcripts) focused on what was in it for him.  He was literally trying to sell the appointment of the vacant senate seat.  When I first read about this story, I laughed out loud and thought he was just stupid or believed he was above the law (or maybe both).  But then it got me thinking about leaders making an impact on those they serve.  As leaders, we can choose to have a negative impact or a positive impact.  Governor Blagojevich chose the path that would provide him the most impact (at least in terms of short term gains). However servant leadership is about creating a positive impact on others.  This is accomplished by helping others find their voice (mentoring others; developing others…).  This takes a selfless approach to others.  Trying to make their life better.  The greatest success we will ever know is helping others grow and succeed.  In the case of Governor Blagojevich, he was clearly focused only on helping himself succeed and it looks like it will cost him everything.