Take a good look at this poster of legendary British magician David Devant.
Compare this to Devant’s colleagues…
Most magicians shined the spotlight on themselves. Thurston called himself, “World’s Famous Magician,” Blackstone, “World’s Master Magician,” and Kellar “The Great Magician.” They were focused on invoking power and posturing to elevate their own stature.
David Devant’s tagline was, “All Done By Kindness.” He focused on the audience – the people he served. It wasn’t all about him. He knew the deeper reason he did what he did: To make people happy, to intrigue them to think differently, and alleviate their worries for a while. Devant treated his audience with care.
Devant was recognized as a humble person with a passion for learning. So he did have a degree of self-focus but it was to improve so that he could serve others – not elevate himself.
What’s your focus? Is it on yourself or on the people you serve? If you’re a leader are you focused on elevating yourself or helping your employees and customers prosper? Self-focus is often driven by fear. Focusing on others is driven by love. What do you want the basis of your actions to be? Fear or love?
Remember, it’s not all about you.