33voices interviews Bill Treasurer, author of Leaders Open Doors.
Leaders Open Doors
Courage is certainly a virtue, and as Aristotle once referenced, its the one ‘which guarantees the others.” A few years ago, I received a birthday gift from my son, Adam that I will forever treasure – it was a simple frame with the following English Proverb imbedded on it, “Some have been thought brave because they were afraid to run away.”
This simple passage was one that I had shared with he and my daughter, Jenna when they were growing up to demonstrate that life will be full of possibly and challenge, and only those who embrace the latter will live a truly meaningful life. As leaders, our legacy is rarely defined by a rapid trajectory to the top; instead our character will be measured much more by how we steer our respective organizations during rough seas.
Bill Treasurer is a former member of the U.S. High Diving Team, and for seven years was one of its best performing athletes despite his chronic fear of heights. Bill obviously had to dig deep to reframe his fear, but what he learned in the process has redefined his perspective on leadership. In his latest book, Leaders Open Doors, he shares the insanely simple message that his five year old son taught him, that most of us forget.