A few weeks ago, I was sitting with a copy of Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader by Charles Koch and Chase Koch.
If you have never heard of it, here it is: [Becoming a Principle-Driven Leader](https://www.principledrivenleader.com?
As I turned the pages, I found myself smiling… and at the same time feeling uncomfortable.
Not because I was learning something completely new.
But because I was seeing my own story.
I kept seeing the same patterns that have followed me while building Home Health & Hospice of Kansas, Meadowlark, Medicashift, teaching, leading teams, raising a family, and trying to build something that actually matters.
And then, almost like a movie scene, my mind went back to one Friday afternoon I will never forget.
My phone rang.
It was a director from KDHE.
I picked up, expecting a routine conversation.
Instead, the first words I heard were:
“Anthony… this conversation is off the record.”
My heart dropped.
You know those moments when your body knows something serious is coming before your mind catches up?
That was one of those moments.
At that stage of my life, I was doing what many entrepreneurs do in the beginning.
I was building businesses.
I was teaching.
I was managing Midwestern College.
I was wearing every hat possible.
And if I’m being honest… I was proud of it.
I thought being busy meant I was winning.
I thought being needed everywhere meant I was valuable.
Then she said:
“Anthony, I think our students are the ones not getting the best of you.”
I remember gripping my phone tighter.
I pushed back immediately.
“What do you mean my students are not getting my best? My students are passing their state boards. The results speak for themselves.”
She paused.
Then she said something that hit me harder than I was ready for:
“Anthony… yes, your students are passing. We know that. But passing is not the same as getting your best.”
Silence.
Then she continued:
“We know your heart. We know your work ethic. But no one can teach multiple classes, manage a college, build businesses, and still give excellence everywhere. Somewhere… something is being missed.”
Then came the words that changed my life:
“You have to make a choice. You can be the teacher… or you can be the director. But you cannot continue being both.”
She gave me until Tuesday.
To say I was devastated would be an understatement.
That Friday felt like one of the hardest days of my professional life.
Because the truth is…
I loved teaching.
If I’m being honest, I probably loved teaching more than management.
Teaching came naturally.
Teaching filled me.
Teaching was comfortable.
But that weekend, I had to face a truth that many leaders eventually face:
Comfort rarely builds legacy.
That weekend, I wasn’t fighting with KDHE.
I was fighting with myself.
I kept asking:
Am I truly building something…
Or am I addicted to being needed?
Do I want to keep being the hero…
Or am I ready to become the architect?
By Tuesday, I had my answer.
I walked away from what was comfortable.
I chose leadership.
I chose management.
I chose growth.
And that decision changed everything.
Since then, our organizations have grown to employ over 100 team members. Every day, we serve more than 300 patients and residents across hospice, home health, senior care, and staffing.
But looking back…
That Friday was not the saddest day of my life.
It was the day my real leadership journey began.
Because that was the day I learned:
Hero leaders solve problems.
Architect leaders build people and systems so the same problems stop showing up.
And the moment I stopped trying to be the smartest person in every room…
And started building teams that were better than me in many areas…
Everything changed.
That’s when I stopped building jobs.
And started building legacy.
So let me leave you with this question:
Are you building something… or are you still addicted to being needed?
Anthony Ndungu, PhD. MBA, RN
Entrepreneur | Leader | Growth Advocate
CEO, http://www.kansashomehealth.com|www.medicashift.com|www.meadowlarkcarehomes.com
“We make lives better.”
