Asking This Question to My Interviewer Changed My Idea of What Leadership Should Be

When I interviewed with my company over 5 years ago now, one of my questions to the hiring manager was, “What was your best day here?”

I knew they were the right leader to work for when they replied that a specific success of someone on their team was their best day. They went on to describe how this individual success set off a chain reaction at the team level that led to an inspired sales year all around. I resolved then and there that’s what I wanted.

To be able to say that your best day was the resounding success of another person is precisely the type of leader I aspire to be.

Since being tapped for the leadership role I’ve long-sought, it’s been quite a learning experience. It’s also been humbling in ways I never expected. And when feeling overwhelmed or unsure of what to do, I have to remind myself to just take the next positive action.

It’s kind of the deal, and it’s called the “hedonic treadmill”.

Each new milestone only brings a fresh new set of challenges to surmount. Even our happiness from having achieved something quickly dissipates, leaving another call to action; another journey to undertake.

We upgrade our complacency until we are again ready to break free from our chrysalis.

This isn’t meant to be pithy or depressing. Part of our nature is to seek comfortable patterns. As we go through periods of intense discomfort, we come out on the other side stronger, wiser, and more capable than before.

Keep seeking your best day.

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