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Everything I know about leadership, I learned in a kindergarten class!

The other day they asked me to help in a kindergarten class because their teacher had reported sick. Although I am used to being at the front of the room conducting seminars and trainings, I took immense pleasure sitting in the back as I watched the help of the teacher take the initiative and instruct the class. It was a pleasure to see him interact with these kids, entertain them, and really listen and lead. Suddenly, I realized that today’s leaders, administrators, and managers could gain some pretty valuable knowledge from this technical assistant. With all that said, everything I know about leadership I learned in a kindergarten class.

Here are the 10 leadership principles that TA embodied and taught me:

1. L-Learn. A leader never stops learning and that includes his own employees and subordinates. As a leader teaches, the best teachers know that they are forever learners. In today’s age, something has happened where we are programmed to always be “on” and to be experts. If we constantly come from the place of the “expert mind” we close our learning or beginner mind, which can be a great detour for others. If we use the mind of this expert 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, others are not willing to learn from us, but exclude us. So, not good to lead, huh?

2. E-Enthusiasm. What I saw of the teacher’s help for a full eight hours was nothing but enthusiasm for his work. He never quit! And thus, the students held onto his every word and wanted to learn! Can you imagine if your boss, your leader came every day full of energy and enthusiasm? I bet you would like to do your job simply because your boss made your job a pleasure. Embody enthusiasm and see how people trust you and stick with your every word.

3. A-Appreciation and Attention. The best leaders show attention. They really listen. If something is not clear, they ask for clarity and do it with compassion. Of course, this makes his “followers” feel appreciated and a good leader lets his employees or followers know that they are appreciated. A good leader is not afraid to give positive reinforcement and recognition to his people. In fact, they realize that positive reinforcement and attention are necessary for their business success.

4. D-Diplomacy. When the little students in the kindergarten class were “out of place” or had done something wrong, the teacher’s help handled the situation with diplomacy and tact. He never looked down on them or judged them. In fact, he “talked about things” with these young people. He talked to them about his impression and what he had noticed, but also gave them the opportunity to share their side of the story. After a concise and enriching discussion, you would make an appropriate decision on how to handle the situation. I think a lot of leaders don’t do this. They are often quick to judge before knowing the full story of a situation. It happens too often that their personality clashes with one employee and not the other, so they “take sides” rather than deal with a negative situation constructively. When a leader really wants to know what happened, it comes from integrity and diplomacy, in my opinion the situation will work out in the most positive way possible without anyone being offended.

5. Electronic lighting. I truly believe that a good leader is one who wishes to enlighten. What I mean by this is that the leader constantly works on personal growth, personal development, education, and personal evolution. They know that to inspire others they must inspire themselves. Therefore, a good leader enlightens themselves by engaging in continuing education to keep them fresh, open, and motivating for others.

6. R-Respectful. What I have noticed in my years of working in and with companies is that there is a continuing lack of respect for employees and staff. In my opinion, the tendency is for leaders and managers to fall in love with the idea that they are in a position of power and therefore feel that they may disrespect their staff. This has always puzzled me because what ends up happening is that the leader ends up without the respect of the peers, which means that later they lack power. A powerful leader is someone who has respect. So give it respect and you will get respect and power!

7. Y-Smile! I’ll tell you what, this is what that teacher’s help did all day! He smiled even when times got tough with those little five year olds and guess what? The little ones smiled back at him. There is something really amazing about a smile. There is an exchange of energy. A smiling leader demonstrates a happy leader, and followers want to see their leader happy. This happiness is contagious. So smile often, especially when leading: o)

8. H-Honesty. The first thing I have learned since becoming a certified coach is that we are all transparent. When we are not honest, EVERYONE knows it! Being a leader requires a lot of integrity, honesty and sincerity. Even when you make a mistake, trust me, people will respect you even more when you acknowledge it and are honest. So take the path of humility and honesty and you will always win.

9. I-Innovative. A good leader is imaginative and innovative. They love to interact with others and share their ideas. A good leader is not afraid of his ideas and wants others to benefit from them. A good leader always has creative ideas to keep things interesting, light, and fun for his followers. Most importantly, they are not attached to your innovations, as they are willing to build and build with others.

10. P-Passion. I never thought for a moment that the teacher’s aide I worked with had no passion for his job. I’ll tell you, I had such a passion that it made me want to become a teacher’s aide for a kindergarten class! Passion is contagious. People follow you and want to be with you when you have passion. Don’t be afraid of it showing, let it out! And let it out all the time! In today’s world, I think people are afraid to let their passion flow because they are too concerned about what other people think. But imagine for a moment if none of us had passion, none of us were truly committed to a cause or had a purpose, what a boring and sad world it would be! So, harness that passion, get up and be a leader and help others find their way.

There you have it, 10 easy-to-follow leadership principles.

One of my favorite sayings the teacher’s aide said all day was, “Good job, kiss your brain!” After what you learned on this blog, realize that you already have what it takes to be a phenomenal leader because you were willing to learn new things by reading this article (you already accomplished Step # 1 – Learn) so give yourself a pat on the back and KISS YOUR BRAIN!

Yours in joy, life and learning. -Life Coach Laurie

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