On November 10, 2025, Warren Buffett released his final shareholder letter. Many people expected his last message to include forecasts, financial strategy, or investment advice. Instead, he wrote about what he believes it takes to achieve true success.
From one of the wealthiest and most influential people alive, this message stood out. The real measure of a life, he said, is not what you earn but how you treat people.
I have been teaching that same truth for years. I have worked with billionaires, CEOs, and founders who had more money and influence than most people can imagine. Some were deeply fulfilled. Others were miserable. The difference was never their wealth. It was meaning. Were they living their values? Were they using their success to make life better for others?
Three Lessons To Live By
Clarity of legacy.
Decide what you want to be remembered for and live that way every day. Intentions do not build legacy. Actions do. A meaningful life is built one small act at a time. Every choice, every word, every gesture adds up to the story people will tell when you are gone.
Kindness is the real currency.
Kindness costs nothing and means everything. People may forget your achievements, but they will not forget how you made them feel. Titles fade. Assets transfer. Reputation endures.
Improvement is always possible.
Do not carry past mistakes as permanent weight. Learn and move forward. It is never too late to become the person you meant to be.
What Really Drives Success
Buffett credited much of his success to luck and to the people who supported him. He acknowledged that nobody succeeds alone. That humility reframes achievement. Success is not only what you accomplish but who you become while accomplishing it.
I have taught more than a quarter of a million people about success, and I have seen the same truth over and over again. The happiest and most respected leaders I know are the ones whose achievements never came at the expense of their humanity. They worked hard, but they also worked kindly.
Several years ago, I was asked to give a TEDx talk on the most important thing I have ever learned.
Here it is: “You become what you focus on and like the people you choose to surround yourself with.”
Whatever you fill your mind with, and whoever you spend your time with, will directly determine what your life looks like ten years from now.
The Leadership Application
If kindness is central to greatness, then leadership must reflect it. Treat every person with dignity. Practice humility. Leave people better than you found them. Pause before saying words that could cause lasting harm.
The human side of leadership is not a soft skill. It is the foundation. Leadership is love in action.
The Personal Challenge
Buffett’s letter closes with questions worth asking yourself. What will people say about you when you are not in the room? What will they say when you are no longer here at all?
The world will not remember your schedule, your title, or your quarterly results. It will remember your generosity, your kindness, your integrity, and how people felt in your presence.
I recently built a new landing page highlighting my updated sessions, created with association leaders in mind, but filled with insights that apply to any organization or business.
These programs focus on the future of leadership, building strong cultures, and executing strategy with clarity and discipline. I was honored to share this material at the ASAE Conference, where I was also inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame.
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