One measure of your success will be the degree to which you

“One measure of your success will be the degree to which you build up others who work with you. While building up others, you will build up yourself.” Thus spoke James E. Casey, founder of UPS, a man who transformed a humble messenger service into one of the world’s great enterprises. His words are not only a guide for leaders of business, but a lamp for every soul that seeks greatness. For he reminds us that true success is not hoarded power, not solitary triumph, but the strength to lift others, and in lifting them, to rise higher yourself.

The ancients knew this wisdom well. In the old texts of kings and warriors, the greatest leaders were those who did not merely win battles, but who forged their armies into brotherhoods. Alexander the Great marched across continents, but he did not march alone. He inspired loyalty in his men, sharing their food, their hardships, their victories. His success was measured not only in lands conquered, but in the devotion of those who followed him. So too does Casey teach: the greatness of one is entwined with the greatness of many.

To build up others is not weakness, but the highest strength. For when a leader invests in the growth, dignity, and skill of those around him, he multiplies his own power. A single flame can be blown out by the wind, but when it lights a thousand torches, the fire becomes an unquenchable blaze. Those who hoard their light in fear diminish themselves; those who share it find their own flame burning brighter.

Consider the story of Casey himself. When he founded what would become UPS, he did not rule as a distant master, but cultivated a spirit of fairness and trust among his workers. He taught that every employee, from the driver to the manager, carried the company’s reputation in their hands. By lifting them with respect and responsibility, he built a culture of excellence that outlived him. His success was not in personal riches alone, but in the enduring legacy of empowered people.

History offers yet another mirror in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Though not a conqueror or industrialist, his greatness lay in raising the spirit of millions. He believed that by awakening the dignity of the poorest villager, by empowering the voiceless, he was lifting India itself. Gandhi’s success was not for himself, but for those he built up—and yet, in building them, he became one of the most revered leaders of history. His life, like Casey’s words, proves that to elevate others is to elevate the self.

The lesson is clear: if you seek greatness only for yourself, your triumph will be hollow and fleeting.