Are you an Anonymous Champion?
It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. OR There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. Two versions. Same thought.
Ok -- who said it? I've heard it attributed to Harry S Truman, Ronald Reagan, Mark Twain, John Wooden, Ralph Waldo Emerson and others. So the irony is I guess it doesn't matter who said it or who takes credit for the quote - it rings true.
I believe as a collective of good, well-intentioned people, we're better than this. We're better than clamoring for the spotlight. We're better than self-promotion and stepping on others to get our name heard or face seen. We're better than having to ensure we get credit before we do the right thing or taking credit for others' ideas or work. We sometimes look to get credit because it validates us or our work. It makes us feel useful, seen, and important.
Let me remind you today that the work you are doing is valuable. Period. If you are serving others through a nonprofit or as a public servant or providing goods and services to your community through a business, then your work matters. Whether anyone cuts a ribbon for you or provides you with recognition in the press or gives you an award or toots your horn on facebook or LinkedIn or Instagram your value is not diminished.
Everyone doing their part to make a difference, show kindness to strangers and friends and contribute to the common good is enough. People see you. I promise. They see you being kind and good. You may not KNOW they see, but people are watching even if they don't call you out or give you credit in visible ways. You'll likely have moments of being applauded and championed but more often than not, the good you do will fly under the radar. Do good anyway.
So don't let getting credit hold you back. Be comfortable with good for the sake of good and impact for the sake of impact. Be willing to be an anonymous champion for good. For it truly is amazing what you -- what we -- can accomplish together when we care not who gets the credit.
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
