Leadership Exchange

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Comment by Gerrad Fase on May 12, 2008 at 4:23pm

Thank you Jeana - I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Praising our children for their efforts is a priority - as parents it easy to just passively respond to things because we are used to it in adult life. When our children do something well, we praise them for their hardwork and effort. In this case I took time to tell her why I, and everyone else were so pleased.

Since that moment she has actively looked for similar opportunities - I couldn't be more proud.

Comment by Jeana Walz on May 12, 2008 at 12:21pm

Gerrad, I love your story. I think that being a parent can teach us a lot about ourselves...good, bad, and ugly. It is great that you noticed this leadership quality in your daughter and I hope you praised her for it!

Comment by Gerrad Fase on May 7, 2008 at 6:37pm

Today I experienced a moment of joy and clarity. My six year-old daughter walked up to a door - ahead of others - and offered to open the door everyone. Unfortunately the door was simply too heavy for her, adding to her lack of leverage, preventing the door from opening.

However, the person at the front of the inbound group helped her just enough for her to hold the door for everyone. Each person in line commented on how polite it was for her to do it, without anyone having to ask - it wasn't her responsibility, but she did it anyway.

In that moment two examples of leadership came out - my daughter offering to open a door for many strangers, without prompting; a stranger offering to help her so she could hold the door.

As parents we hope to be more than just the people who keep children protected as they grow old - we hope that our actions will be reflected in our children in a positive way. Holding a door for others is such a simple act that a person might rarely consider it more than just being nice - it is more than that, and it is something that many of us do without missing a beat.

This was, I thought, a fanstastic example of leadership as parents and as children passing on leadership values to others. And I think it reminds others that, even if for just one second a person can be a great leader and make a difference.

Comment by Alex on May 7, 2008 at 12:11am

Leadership is not who manages you, leadership is something you do with all people around you, to help them grow and prosper.