I read a brief article a few weeks ago that has stuck with me. In it, a teacher was praising a student for how well they had mastered a new skill. The student was an adult learner and the course one that was more cerebral in nature than physical. The student reacted to the words of praise, after expressing their thanks, with a simple and powerful statement, saying “There is no me without you.”

I’ve thought about that phrase, and that sentiment, any number of times since I read it. And it resonates with me on so many levels, both personally and professionally. On the face of it, it is simple but the message is truly profound.

There is no me without you in an organization. As a leader, we recognize that we cannot do it alone, we cannot achieve our goals without the people who make it happen. Conversely, without leadership, direction does not exist. The roles are interconnected and interrelated in ways too numerous to count.

The same is true in our personal lives. Our relationship with others is what makes us a parent, a partner, a friend. It seems simplistic, I know, but I think the truth is that it is far from simple. We take things for granted, we take people for granted, and, as a result, we see our expectations as givens when they are anything but.

We often see ourselves as shouldering our own responsibilities, of taking on our tasks, of pursuing our goals, of living our lives. We forget that our reality could not, would not exist without others. Thinking about the truth that, indeed, there is no me without you, fills me with a renewed appreciation for all those who are “you” in my life. I think that living in those words gives us all the opportunity to pause and reflect on all the ways in which our lives, our worlds, our achievements are the product of these connections.