Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel.

If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish. — Sam Walton

It is no secret that Sam Walton, quoted above, was a successful business leader. At the time of his death in 1992, his company employed 380,000 people and had annual sales of nearly $50 billion from 1,735 WalMarts, 212 Sam’s Clubs, and 13 Supercenters.

Though he developed many innovative strategies during his lifetime, the one attribute that stands out is his ability to encourage people to learn and grow.

…And those people grew his organization. This is true of our communities as well.

It is a short-sighted person – or leader, or association board – who refrains from treating their people (neighbors) as their most valuable asset. Because, as Walton validated, encouraging people can boost their self-esteem, and will likely prosper the business as well.

As a person living in community we can ask ourselves this question: What are we doing to build the people around us? The answer may elicit valuable insights regarding why our community is prospering – or, alternately, why it is not…