It is an old army cliche, one however that consistently rings true to the mission of a leader. 

Earlier this week, Leader to Leader was lucky enough to welcomed General William "Kip" Ward and his wife Joyce Ward to New York for a morning and afternoon roundtable dialogue. General Ward assumed duties as the first Commander of the United states Africa Command on October 1, 2007. General Ward is currently the only four-star African-American general in the active military and one of only five African-Americans ever promoted to four-star rank. 

The Ward's talked about their aligned values—service to others (Mrs. Ward was recently awarded the Essence Award for Volunteerism, and refers to her "career as a volunteer"), trust, accountability and respect. "To perform to the best of their ability, every member of the team must know that their work makes a difference," General Ward said. 

Providing opportunities for others was a resounding theme of the dialogue—by serving as an influence, role model or mentor to someone, you give that person hope that they can propel themselves to another level in their own lives.