Wayne Dyer

Lessons on how to lead from being childlike

childlike leadershipWhen we think of what it takes to lead a project, or lead a team, or how about lead a company, what is the first thing that comes mind? I going to guess that we don’t think of being childlike. As we grow into adulthood, being childlike is usually not our goal. The experience and wisdom that is obtained through our lives is important, but there are some lessons on how to lead from being childlike that bear remembering:

Have fun, be excited.  Children have a knack for making everything fun. Leadership can be hard work but it doesn’t have to be boring. Enjoy talking with your team. Celebrate successes. Encourage and empower new ideas.

“You can be childlike without being childish. A child always wants to have fun. Ask yourself, ‘Am I having fun?’” – Christopher Meloni

Be curious, ask why. Children aren’t afraid to admit they don’t know something, and are willing to dig to find out. Leaders don’t and can’t know everything. Learning should be a life-long pursuit for the leader and for the team.

“Don’t pretend to know all the answers – quite the opposite, in fact. Ask loads of questions of everyone.” – Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why

Say wow, be in awe. Children are impressed with things that seem larger than life. Leadership is a big responsibility. Never take it for granted that you can have a huge impact on the people you lead.

“To be more childlike, you don’t have to give up being an adult. The fully integrated person is capable of being both an adult and a child simultaneously….and being full of awe and wonder at this magnificent universe.” – Wayne Dyer

Leaders as Greeters

greetingI remember when Walmart had official greeters in their stores. It was their job to say hello, give you a shopping cart, and if you had young children with you they would give them a smiley face sticker.

I always thought that was a unique way to welcome you to a store. Walmart just isn’t the same without the official greeters.

There are still businesses that have greeters, although they are called something else, and their job description includes more than just saying hello. Think of hotel porters, employees who stand at the front entrance of the mall stores, and with the advent of online shopping the website has become the ultimate greeter.

Why are greeters so important to business? Because the customer experience begins and ends at the front door. Leaders should see themselves as greeters for the very same reason. Part of their responsibility is to provide the same three customer (employee) experiences: Connection, Direction, and Reflection.

Connection

Greeters are the first to welcome you to the hotel, store, or website. They make you feel part of a larger group, you know you are not alone in your quest. Leader Greeters do the same thing. Employees need to feel that they are part of the team. Everything from the basic introductions to ongoing communication fosters a connection.

Think of your role as the Leader Greeter like CEO Jeff Bezos sees Amazon, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”

Direction

Greeters help customers find what they want on the inside: the hotel room, the store aisle, or which button to press on the website. Leader Greeters do the same thing. Employees need direction to the right opportunities, training, and coaching. Businesses that want a good customer experience don’t let customers wander around until they are frustrated. Employees want to know they are headed in the right direction as well.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu

Reflection

When customers leave the hotel, store, or website, businesses want them to remember a good experience and have the desire to return. Hotel porters are the best at giving restaurant recommendations. Store employees showing appreciation by saying thank you goes a long way. Websites that keep you informed about your order keep you coming back for more. Leader Greeters do the same thing. When it’s time for employees to go home for the day, or take a vacation, they need to feel like they accomplished enough on the job and were successful. Help your employee’s work-life balance by prioritizing and delegating the right work load.

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” – Wayne Dyer

Lead from the inside out – this time it is all about you

Sometimreal riches are insidees leaders need to look inside and reflect on themselves. Your actions may be visible and impactful to everyone around you, but are they still connected to the core of your leadership strength – the desire to help others succeed? What happens when your leadership focus slowly switches from each individual succeeding, to your personal success in making that happen? Albert Einstein once said, “It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it.”

Here are three key areas that leaders should focus on as they lead from the inside out:

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The choices you make, will make you

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This morning I woke up at 5:30am, exercised, finished this blog while I ate breakfast and headed to work. My morning, like yours, was filled with choices: what time to wake up, will I exercise or not, if I choose to exercise will it be cardio or weights or both, what to wear to work, what to eat for breakfast, what the title of the blog should be, what route to take to work…I am tired just thinking of all the choices I already made today and its only 7:30am.

In the grand scheme of my life, this morning’s choices may seem trivial. I could have made a different decision on any single one of them and had only a minor impact if any on today – would anyone really notice if my tie was gray or blue?

The point of this blog though isn’t to highlight one single choice on one single day or even many choices in one single day. The point is to highlight that the success we achieve in life will be determined by the outcomes from all of the choices we make in our life.

It isn’t about if I woke up at 5:30am today, it’s about if I have a pattern of rising early enough to have the opportunity to make choices.

It isn’t about if I exercised today, it’s about if I have a habit of regular exercise.

It isn’t about what route I take to work today, it’s about if I make it to work on time each day.

It isn’t about if I wrote a blog today, it’s about if I write enough to have an impact on people’s lives.

“Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made.” – Wayne Dyer

We all make choices like this each day. In fact, the thing about choices is you don’t have a choice not to choose. William James, referred to as the father of American psychology said, “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.”

So every day, all day, we make choices that impact our lives and the lives of many around us. The odds that every choice you make is ultimately the one that you and everyone else would agree we’re the right ones are low. But that is ok, that’s how you learn for the next time.

Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.

Right now, one of you is thinking, “But I made some really bad choices; what about me?”

Sometimes, good people make bad choices. It doesn’t mean they are bad people – It means they are human.

A bad choice isn’t the end, but it makes the next choice that much more important. Legendary NBA coach Pat Riley said, “You have no choices about how you lose, but you do have a choice about how you come back and prepare to win again.”

Mary Pickford is most well known as the silent film star whose fame dwindled with the start of the talking movies. It is said that she made the choice to resist this change and paid the price as the silent movie industry ended. You may be surprised then to read this quote from Pickford, “If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.” This quote made perfect sense to me when I learned that along with her acting career, Mary Pickford was the co-founder of United Artists Film Studios, and one of the original founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This was her second chance at success.

I will wrap up this blog with a wonderful quote by Michael Josephson:

“You are what you are today because of the choices you made yesterday, and the choices you make today will make you what you are tomorrow. Take control of your life. Choose wisely.”

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