A student asked me, "What leadership books changed your life?"

I've read so many, but I don't know that any books changed my life.

7 Habits laid such a good foundation of essential principles. I use Covey's win/win concept all the time.

John Maxwell also articulated principles. I used to subscribe to his tape series when I was a growing leader. And his stuff helped me.

But along the way I discovered that just reading books, untethered to commitment, left me unchanged. Kind of like listening to sermons. Books were ineffectual without challenges and mentorship.

What did grow my leadership skills were the dreams that I committed to. Dreams that caused me to feel the consequences of those commitments - that cost me something and forced me to embrace pain.

People look at my successes and assume I've learned a leadership secret. But the only success secret I've got is to commit to the inevitability of failure as a part of the process. It will hurt and you will survive. So you might as well get started.

We all dream. But in this season of diminished trust, how many of us are willing to commit to our dreams? Yes, you may fail. But you will also learn to pivot and to honor commitments. Your life will have purpose.

And on occasion, your dreams will come true.