Outsmart Chaos 108: What are You Really Stewarding as a Leader?
Forget these four things, and chaos grows. Honor them, and impact multiplies.
Leadership is bigger than status. It's about stewardship.
What you hold, you hold on behalf of others.
There are four things every leader is entrusted to steward. Forget them, and chaos grows. Honor them, and you build trust, momentum, and impact.
1. Connect People to Opportunities
If there is a frog to eat, don’t choke it down yourself. Find the person who sees it as a delicacy. Connect them to their delicacy.
Stewardship means opening doors others cannot open for themselves. It means recognizing potential in people and matching them with challenges that foster growth and strength. Without connection, there is no value.
2. Delight People and Inspire Loyalty
It’s the people that matter.
Small gestures of joy, respect, or encouragement often outlast the “big” leadership moves. Stewardship means remembering that culture is built one interaction at a time. Without delight, there is no affinity.
3. Develop the Highest Return on Investment
Leadership is a long game. Stewardship means protecting resources—time, talent, trust—and multiplying them.
It is about putting energy into what will endure, not just what will impress. Without return, there is no impact.
4. Deliver with Quality and Consistency
Results matter. Bad results can be worse than no results at all.
Stewardship here means keeping promises, sustaining reliability, and building credibility day after day. Without delivery, there is no opportunity.
A Story from Costco
The other day, my 10-year-old daughter joined me on an errand to Costco. As I loaded the groceries into the car, I asked her to return our cart to the corral.
She noticed the corral was a mess. Carts were spilling out, blocking space and even putting cars at risk. Instead of just sliding our cart into the chaos, she stepped in. She reorganized the whole corral, making two neat rows that opened space for more.
She didn’t “do her job.” She had no real job to do. She did an act of service for everyone else who came after. That’s leadership.
The Stewardship Test of Leadership
Leadership is not about what you claim. It’s about what you steward.
Connection brings value.
Delight creates affinity.
Return drives impact.
Delivery unlocks opportunity.
The question isn’t “what do people owe me as a leader?”
The real question is: What am I faithfully stewarding on behalf of others?