The quote that opens the 8 Essentials of Leading Teams is one of my favorites. It’s from the father of the romantic period, a frenchman named Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubriand. According to Chateaubriand… “a master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both. “
I believe, great lives are lived by people that embrace Chateaubriand’s quote and make it theirs. Great lives are lived by romantics who love their work and their life. However, the business world is loaded with laborers that have settled or sold out for a great living oftentimes at the expense of a life worth living.
What about you? Are you a highly paid laborer or someone who is living their opus? What will be your magnum opus… your great work? Are you living your dream? Are you excited about the thought of retiring? Why?
Great leaders live their opus in work and life. They are weird. They are artists and the canvas they paint upon is their company, their family, and their community. They are full of energy and you and I can feel it when we come in for a closer look. They are attracters not attackers. They do not think of settling and they cannot imagine retiring…it’s not in their vocabulary! I believe, you and I are designed for exactly this purpose and passion. The only thing stopping you and me is our FEAR. Face your fears, find your opus. We will follow.
Small Giants, by Bo Burlingham is a great book about people pursuing their opus and deciding to build exceptional companies that are small and mighty. Check it out.
BUILT TO LEAD 