Hi Reader,

We all have our own definition of success. Along the journey we receive an endless supply of advice from friends, family, mentors, coaches, authors, podcasters, and complete strangers.

One piece of advice I've never heard was to help others succeed as a way to experience your own success.

I've heard variations of this, but never as an explicit strategy with a proven track record of helping others succeed and experiencing success for oneself.

This week on episode 299 I'm joined by Russ Reeder. Russ has spent more than 30 years running, scaling, and rebuilding technology companies, including leadership experience at Oracle, GoDaddy, and OVHcloud, along with nine private equity-backed companies across six continents. Yet one of the most important lessons of his career has less to do with technology or operating models than with people.

Early in his career at Oracle, Russ discovered that he could accomplish more by understanding what the people around him needed to be successful. Instead of approaching colleagues only with his own objectives, he learned to connect his goals to theirs. That mindset helped him assemble the support needed to close a $25 million application deal, which was one of Oracle's largest at the time and shaped how he would lead for decades.

We also discuss the danger of the so-called indispensable employee. Across multiple companies, Russ encountered talented people who hoarded information, relationships, or influence. They appeared invaluable, but their behavior kept other people from developing and prevented organizations from scaling. That pattern helped inspire the title of Russ's forthcoming book, Heroes Don't Scale.

Our conversation ultimately reaches beyond business performance into fulfillment and legacy. Russ explains why his definition of success evolved from being known for his accomplishments to knowing that he has made a meaningful difference in someone else's success even when nobody else sees it.

The result is a powerful leadership principle: when they win, you can win too.

In this week's episode 299 the main point is this.

"They win. You win. After more than 30 years leading technology companies, Russ Reeder says one strategy has consistently paid off: helping other people succeed. He shares the $25 million Oracle lesson that shaped his career, the danger of becoming indispensable, and why impact has become a bigger measure of success than recognition."

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Bringing the Human Dividend to Reframing HR's New Masterclass

I'm excited to share that I'll be presenting my Human Dividend™ for AI Transformation method as part of a new program from Reframing HR called HR Reframed Masterclass: The HR Leader Edition. It's a live, cohort-based series for senior HR leaders, HR directors, and VPs who advise the business on talent, org effectiveness, and people strategy.

The cohort kicks off Friday, August 28th and runs weekly through October 9th, with a mix of masterclass sessions on AI's impact on HR and professional development sessions on career navigation. It's a small group, capped at 15, and led by Jessica Smith, Chief People Officer and founder of Reframing HR.

I'll be closing out Session #1 on August 28th, right after the group works through how AI is already reshaping enterprise HR in real organizations. My session builds on that by showing HR leaders how to move past simply adopting AI tools and focusing on capturing the human value AI transformation can unlock for their teams.

If you're an HR leader thinking through what this next phase means for your role and your people, this is a good place to start.

Spots are limited. Learn more and register:https://www.reframinghr.com/services-5

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The Proven Success Strategy Is Helping Others Succeed

What if one of the most reliable ways to become more successful is to stop focusing so much on your own success? On episode 299, Russ Reeder shares lessons learned early in his career at Oracle, in an environment known for intense competition. Instead of trying to become the most important person in the room, he started asking a different question: What does this person need to feel successful?

That approach has become a through line across more than 30 years of running, scaling, and rebuilding technology companies.

In this episode of the Life Fulfilled Podcast, Russ shares why helping other people succeed isn't simply generous leadership. For him, it became a proven strategy for building teams, creating impact, and experiencing fulfillment.

His experience also reveals the other side of the equation: when talented people hoard knowledge, relationships, or power to make themselves indispensable, they may actually prevent everyone around them from growing.

Who This Is For

Leaders who want to build teams that can succeed without depending on one indispensable person
Professionals who want to advance their careers by creating value for the people around them
Founders and executives struggling to step out of the weeds and empower others
Anyone reconsidering what success, impact, and legacy really mean
People who want their career success to produce a deeper sense of fulfillment

Five Key Takeaways

Helping other people succeed can become a strategy for your own success. Early at Oracle, Russ learned to understand what success looked like for the people whose support he needed. Instead of approaching them with what he wanted, he connected his objectives to what would help them succeed. That approach helped him build internal support, close a $25 million application deal, and ultimately get noticed as a leader.
The person who seems indispensable can become an organization's biggest bottleneck. Russ repeatedly encountered talented people who protected information, customer relationships, or expertise as a form of power. Their value became a moat around themselves—and that prevented other people from growing.
Leadership means making the people around you better.
Russ's philosophy developed long before he knew the language of servant leadership. When he entered management at Oracle, he instinctively focused on helping his team succeed rather than competing against them.
Sometimes the leader is the bottleneck. Russ experienced this himself as founder and CEO of RightsLine. He recalls working on sales deals on a Saturday when his sales organization should have owned them. Once he stepped out of the way, other leaders had room to rise.
Legacy is about impact, not recognition. Russ once associated legacy with having a recognizable name or accumulating wealth. Over time, that shifted toward making a meaningful difference for other people—even when nobody else knows about it. For him, that quiet sense of impact has become a major source of fulfillment.