Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful and relaxing break. I spent a lot of time hanging out with my family including my amazing wife and two daughters. Today’s blog entry is inspired by my daughter Alice, who will be 3 in April.
Alice and I were cleaning the house while my wife and Violet napped (best X-mas present ever). Anyway, I asked Alice to remove the couch cushions, so I could vacuum up the stuff and rotate them (yep I’m a little obsessive). She told me that the cushions were too heavy. I told her that I knew she could do it. The next thing I know I hear her whispering to herself. She keeps telling herself, “I am a strong dragon!” and then she pulls the cushions off of the couch and throws them down triumphantly.
It’s a cute moment, but you’re probably wondering what it has to do with anything. This is the time of year when many of us start thinking about our goals for the year and what we hope to accomplish. The thing is, it doesn’t matter how great our well thought out your goals are if you aren’t in the right mindset. It all boils down to whether or not you believe you can achieve these goals. Alice changed her mindset, before she reached her goal.
There is another lesson hidden in this story. When she first came to me, her mindset told her she couldn’t do it. I took a few seconds to encourage her and that was the nudge she needed to change her mindset. The moral of the story is that as leaders we need to nudge people to unlock what is there sometimes. This isn’t telling people fluff. It’s about speaking with honest conviction that you believe in them. It’s amazing how powerful a little belief in somebody else can be. One simple moment that really motivated me last year was when I was talking to a mentor about things that I couldn’t figure out. I felt a little lost and a little like I didn’t know if I could get it done. I was talking to him to get his perspective and he tells me with honest conviction, “Don’t shy away from that. That is your leadership opportunity. Step into it. I know you’ll get it done.” A short and simple conversation that got me refocused and ready to go.
Have a jolly good day,
Andrew Embry
Striking Matches 