This past year has been one of great loss for many people.

For most of us, the loss centers on the more mundane (yet still vital) aspects of our daily lives. The loss of our ability to go where we want, when we want. My twin daughters are seniors in high school, and during the last several months I’ve had to help them navigate the loss of key experiences and rites of passage. The anger and frustration they feel about the loss of dances, prom, and very likely a traditional graduation ceremony is a very real manifestation of grief, and I’ve had to recognize this when emotions erupt at our house. This loss of personal connection at a time when many of us need it more than anything affects all of us greatly. How will that affect us as we move forward? How has it already set us back?

Obviously, the most painful experiences have come to those who have lost loved ones in the last year — either directly to an incredibly unpredictable virus, or because they could not be with loved ones in their final moments because of disease mitigation efforts.

Last month, I learned that one of the most important mentors of my life had passed away due to complications from COVID-19. It was, in fact, the first death due to the pandemic of someone I will mourn deeply. Ron’s death made me reflect on leadership, and how I can help others during what is perhaps the most difficult time of their lives.

Ron was a giant in every way, from his booming voice (and laugh!) to the extra pounds he carried around his midsection due to his great love of food. He was wise — so very wise. He was a man of profound faith and wasn’t afraid to talk about his personal struggles and share the lessons he learned with others.

When I think back to the time I worked with Ron, I was just a kid fresh out of law school. He drew the short straw of having the “ag kid” assigned to many of his aviation cases. Fortunately, many of them dealt with spraying (mostly mis-spraying) fields in western Kansas. He got stuck with the farm girl, and it was amazing. He was exactly what I needed at that point in my life.

I learned so many lessons from Ron that I could easily write a short book, but the one that I think about every day in my role as a leader is how he told me that there was no mistake I would ever make that couldn’t be fixed. Ever. Not missing a deadline, not filing the wrong document at the wrong time. Nothing couldn’t ever be fixed.

How many of us give our direct reports that kind of encouragement to learn and take risks? I can honestly say that it was many, many years before I heard it from another leader. But it stuck with me and I am eternally grateful to Ron that he taught it to me early in my career.

That mindset of having little fear of failure has served me well. I have taken risks. Many have paid off. For those that didn’t, I sucked it up, learned and failed forward. Were there consequences? Of course. Sometimes they were painful, and most often they cost money. But I never repeated the same mistake twice, and that’s all I have asked of those who have worked for me. I consider those missteps and mistakes to be “tuition.” Sure, you can spend money on professional development through classes, seminars and books, but in most cases, there is no better way to learn than by doing. What better way to drive improvement and innovation through your business than by encouraging people to take risks?

Everyone has a Ron. Some of us have more than one. Take a moment today to tell those important mentors in your life, “thank you.” Aspire to be the type of mentor that makes an impact. Ron will never know how many people he impacted. I consider myself blessed to be one of them, and I will do everything I can to pay it forward for as long as I’m able.

Turning leadership lessons into living legacies

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