Leadership That Breathes Life: How You Lead Matters More Than What You Achieve
What if the true measure of leadership isn’t what you accomplish — but what others accomplish because of you?
Recently, someone stunned me: “Orvin, you talk about knowing your audience of significance. For me, that’s you. My goal is to do what you’ve assigned me to do.”
I felt the weight of that statement. People aren’t just following our direction — they’re aligning their energy, hope, even their identity with our leadership.
Something clicked: Every meaningful success I’ve had has come through helping someone else win.
Success Comes Through Service
When I’ve been compassionate, present, and engaged in someone else’s journey, my own has expanded in ways I couldn’t orchestrate. Helping people grow isn’t a side mission. It is the mission.
The temptation is to lead with pressure, to push people toward productivity. But we risk winning short-term battles while tearing away the trust that makes long-term victory possible.
The Moments That Expose the Truth
I once watched a young leader walk past a janitor like he didn’t exist — then light up when a VP walked in. That kind of inconsistency shows. People remember how you made them feel when you thought no one was watching.
That message hit harder during a company gathering. A maintenance team member said: “This is the most I’ve ever engaged with the executives.” The system I was part of had allowed that kind of separation to go unaddressed. And I was accountable to change it.
Influence Without Authority: The True Test
The best leaders influence when they’re not in charge. Some lead through fear. Others through faith.
Fear-based leadership extracts life. It creates silence, not trust. Compliance, not creativity. People walk on eggshells, doubt your praise, retreat. Faith-based leadership inspires. It gives people room to grow, believing transformation is possible — even when performance is messy.
Words Are Your Legacy in Motion
Here’s what I’ve learned:
What you say matters. Do your words build confidence or chip it away?
How you say it matters. You can challenge without crushing, correct without shaming.
When you say it matters. Timing can turn truth into wisdom — or into a weapon.
Next-Level Leadership Requires Soul Work
Too many people rise through the ranks by hitting metrics, but stall because they never do the inner work. To truly lead — to shape systems, steward culture, and leave something lasting — you need self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the belief that your gifts were given through you, not just for you.
The real work of leadership is not in performance reviews or quarterly goals. It’s in moments where you breathe life instead of extracting it — lifting people even when no one’s watching.
One Final Question
Think about your last difficult conversation. Did your words build trust or raise doubt? Invite growth or instill fear?
If you want to lead at the next level, you can’t just drive outcomes. You must steward hearts. That starts with what you say, how you say it, and when you choose to speak.
Let’s rise with purpose. Let’s lead with life.
Originally published in the Kansas City Business Journal in September of 2025 by Orv Kimbrough, Chairman and CEO at Midwest BankCentre