Our Story

THE STORY BEHIND THE IDEA

My dad, Jim Ernst, passed away in June 2006. He left a newspaper clipping for us to find called “Remember Me…”. The last line reads “If by chance you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all that I have asked, I will live forever.”  He had given us the perfect way to remember him.  So at his memorial service we asked people to commit an act of kindness in his memory.

Over the next few months I took on the practice of committing random acts of kindness.  What I observed started me thinking:   could committing an act of leadership be as simple as committing an act of kindness?  What’s the difference between the two? Perhaps committing an act of kindness is in and of itself an act of leadership.  On a number of occasions, while my motive was to be kind, I noticed my actions caused others to behave differently and even work together for a common goal.  What seems to be the common thread is the commitment to making a difference.  In committing an act of kindness we are reminded that the “small stuff” really matters.  I believe the same is true in leading – it’s the small stuff, the simple actions you take, the words you say to one person at a time every day that make the biggest difference of all.

The idea of Random Acts of Leadership was born from which a talk, a course and this blog have emerged.  My intention is to support people in exploring and inventing what leadership looks like in the everyday actions and conversations of work and life so they can make the biggest possible difference in what matters most to them.   It is both my hope and intention that by engaging more and more people in this conversation, we can together cause an explosion of leadership in everyday life and work.

DEDICATION

My father was a leader in everyday life. The world does not know who he is.  He will not be named in any history books. Yet for the people whose lives he touched the history books do not matter.  It was his actions both big and small that did.  He taught me that the purpose of life was to make the biggest difference you could make in whatever you do.  I dedicate this site to his memory.  It is my wish that when I close my eyes for the last time I will be able to honestly say I made the biggest difference I could make.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Mazza has worked with organizations and leaders for over 20 years to substantially improve the performance of their organizations and their people.

With her unique understanding of human systems and an unquenchable thirst to unlock the potential of the human spirit, she has worked successfully with many types and sizes of organizations and with people around the world including: Fortune 500, small and medium sized businesses, non-profits as well as k-12 schools and districts.  Her clients include: Prudential Financial, Tyco, AT&T, Sedgwick Claims management Services, Lucent Technologies, Smart Business Advisory and Consulting Group, The Morris School District, DelSano Construction Company, REWCO, Inc., Heller CD, The Morristown Partnership, and The Cloud Institute for Sustainability.

A hallmark of Susan’s success in such diverse organizations is her ability to transform leading edge theory into pragmatic strategies and practical applications which significantly improve performance and inspire people to step out of their comfort zones to realize their full potential.

Susan can be reached via e-mail at susan@randomactsofleadership.com or by calling (772) 539-7003.