Based on the movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, a bucket list is a wish list of things to do before you “kick the bucket.” We all have a pretty good idea of things we’d want to do before we leave this earth, but have we ever thought about putting together a leadership bucket list? In other words, before you leave the corporate world, think about what you’d love to do before you kick that bucket.
Would you want to mentor somebody? Persuade a CEO to do something differently? Build your own department? Be the CEO of your own company?
Take a minute right now, and write down five things you’d like to put on your leadership bucket list. As an example, I’m going to take a minute and put together my own bucket list:
1. Write three books on the power of change leadership.
2. Coach at least twenty women who want to succeed in the world of Corporate America.
3. Create a program that combines leadership and creatove storytelling.
4. Help at least twenty companies survive and thrive during times of change.
5. Develop a program for High School students that helps them understand the change process and remain optimistic even in times of turmoil.
I have to admit that taking the time to write down those five “buckets” has given me some direction. Every leader needs to step away from all of the redundant change going on in their corporate lives. Although “redundant change” sounds like an oxymoron, it’s what businesses too often practice. It’s when new change is actually the same old initiative dressed up in a different outfit.
To maintain passion during times when work feels more like a hamster-wheel than a highway, leaders need their bucket list. We need to know that we are moving something forward, that we are influencing a life. So take a minute and write down your leadership bucket list.
Here’s the actual movie called “The Bucket List” if you want to watch it. I haven’t seen it yet, but I hear it’s inspiring and tissue-worthy: