Steve McNeely

“Half of all Americans today say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from nearly 60 percent in 1995. But among the 50 percent who say they are content, only 14 percent say they are ‘very satisfied.”

It is the uninterrupted walk of 1,000 days that brings real, sustainable growth; the accretion of tiny layers of knowledge and experience that build a strong mountain that will not erode.

Are graduated levels—a chain of command—in the organizational chart helpful or hurtful? How does hierarchy meld with the notion of the leader as servant? Or, should an organization seeking to infuse servant leadership into its culture flatten itself like a pancake run over by a diesel road roller?

Team play is beautiful. There is nothing more rewarding than when a group of individuals submits their self-interest for the good of the team, embrace whatever role they have, and strive for shared success.

Rather than retread Lord Acton’s famous but shopworn quote, I will use my wife’s less-known but equally insightful proverb: “Power makes people go absolutely crazy!”

The two-hour drive from Montego Bay to our destination, Ocho Rios, once a white-knuckle amusement park ride, was made pleasant by a new, modern ribbon of highway and a tour guide who doubled as a driver, peppering his travelogue with frequent horn toots.