The carpenter could tell Michael was in deep thought. “What’s troubling you?” he asked.

“I’m not troubled. I’m just thinking about ways to put all of this into action when I get back to work in a few days.”

The carpenter showed Michael the wooden heart. “It’s as simple as this: You love, you serve, and you show people you care. It’s the simplest, most powerful, greatest success model of all time. You take the three words on this heart and you put them on your heart. When you are leading your team, you love, serve, and care. When you sell, you love, serve, and care. When you coach and mentor, you love, serve, and care. When you serve your customers, you love, serve, and care. You implement The Way individually and collectively, and you will be successful in all that you do.

“Then you share this model with your team by modeling it for them. If you want your team to love, you love them. If you want them to serve, you serve them. If you want them to care, you care about them. If you want them to give their best, you give them your best. It doesn’t happen overnight but the work you put in today becomes the masterpiece you enjoy tomorrow.

“Then you ingrain this model into the people around you by encouraging each of them to identify and internalize what it means to love, serve, and care. It can’t exist as just words on a piece of wood. It must come alive in the hearts and minds of all who work with you. Everyone can choose to love, serve, and care and when they do, they will become leaders of others. Not all leaders love, serve, and care, but all who love, serve, and care are leaders.

“In this spirit it’s important for you and your team to find every opportunity to put this model into practice to lead others. I believe we possess the greatest power in the universe, the power to make a difference in the life of another human being. If we lived and shared this model, it would not only transform our businesses, schools, and teams but also the world.”

The carpenter smiled, handed Michael the wooden heart, and said, “Speaking of putting this model into practice, can you love, serve, and care by going to get us some shrimp burritos while I stain the wood? Our masterpiece is almost finished.”