“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams Are you a Fred? If you’ve never heard of The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn, that might sound like an odd question. Fred was Mark’s mailman. And he’s the focal point for Mark’s national bestselling leadership book. You see, Fred was not just a mailman — he was the best of the best. As Mark outlines in his book, Fred went above and beyond to do his job with excellence. So much so, he left a lifelong impression on the speaker. And changed the way he looked at work and leadership from that day forward. Here’s what he said about Fred on his website:

“His actions really struck me. As a professional speaker, it is easy to find and point out what’s “wrong” with quality, customer service and business in general. Finding examples of what’s “right,” or even praiseworthy, is much harder. Yet here was Fred, a gold-plated example of what personalized service looked like and a role model for anyone who wanted to make a difference in his or her work. Because of Fred’s example I started sharing my experiences with him in speeches and seminars I presented across the country. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to hear about Fred, whether they were in a service business or manufacturing, high tech or healthcare. Audiences were enthralled and inspired.”

Being a “Fred” became a movement much larger than the original Fred could have imagined. In his mind, he was just doing his job — and doing it really well! He couldn’t have imagined the impact his life would make on Mark’s life … which, in turn, led to impacting the lives of many, many more. From my childhood, I remember two men who had a huge impact on my life. James Boyd and Bernard Allen. They were volunteers in a camping program called Royal Rangers in our neighborhood Assemblies of God church. “Commander Boyd” would drive his blue fastback sports car through our neighborhood picking up boys for the weekly meetings. (There were no seat belt laws in those days, so we would all pile in). I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back, the impact these men had on my life was huge. They invested in us. They saw potential in a bunch of inner city kids. I have no idea where I’d be now without them. And I have no idea where these men are today. I wish I did … I would love to thank them for the investment they made. I’m not sure if Mark and Fred are still in touch now that he’s no longer Mark’s mailman, but I know that Fred’s investment in Mark’s life will probably never leave him. Which leads me back to my initial question. Are you a Fred? Leaders like Fred — no matter what field or position they may hold — are what I like to call “invisible leaders.” They’re the people who impact your life and your leadership over the course of your life. I’m sure if you sat down and thought about the span of your life, you could name a few Freds. Maybe they’re your parents, a sports coach, a teacher, a pastor, etc. Hey, maybe it’s your mailman! Do you have any invisible leaders in your life? If so, you probably understand how important they are. Over the next several weeks, I want to encourage and equip you to be an invisible leader for someone else. We’re going to talk about the characteristics of an invisible leader, as well as how to integrate those practices into your own leadership. I can’t wait to walk through this series with you!  

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