Leadership Lessons From a 5-Yr-Old
June 3, 2009
As a mom, I’m constantly driving my five-and-a-half year-old son to school, hockey, birthday parties, dentist appointments… you know the drill. Truly a labor of love!
And Driving Mr. Daisy recently, he taught a few valuable lessons on leadership.
“Look straight ahead, mommy.”
It is the primary job of any leader, whether your title includes “Officer” or “Assisant,” to provide the vision for your team. Keep your eyes straight ahead on the horizon to where you want the team to go. Continuously reconnect each member of the team and their contributions to their impact on reaching that vision. All this is essential for moving forward. When you get distracted by other cars, accidents, road construction, etc., you’ll swerve off course.
“Both hands on the wheel, mommy.”
In other words, focus on what matters most. There are so many nonessential activities that can and often do take our attention away from what we’re trying to accomplish. If you spend too much time fumbling in your purse to find your cell phone or trying to switch radio stations or making calls or… you might miss your exit and forget where you’re going.
“Mommy, look! Buffalo! Pull over, pull over!”
Yet while we’re keeping our vision foremost in our team’s minds and sticking to what matters most, we can’t forget to keep an eye out for the next best opportunity. Grab it before it passes you by and it’s too late to turn around and go back. But don’t forget to pull over and stop to have that close look.
You still need to be safe.
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