Someone once told me that a child has a large majority of their beliefs set by the age of five.  That blows my mind.  This means that children are nothing but sponges for the initial days of their lives.  Observing everything and making decisions on what they believe, enough, that by the age of five they are set in their ways. 

I never really thought about this much until now.  My daughter,  who will turn two in a few months, is already an independant free spirit.  Her mother and I are doing our best to teach her good manners, and instill in her important traits that will set her up for success as she grows and matures.  While in the midst of this teaching, we are expecting our second child any day now and not only will I be teaching Lexi, but I will be responsible for another little one. 

I find myself carefully thinking about how I will handle certain situations and what I want to prioritize in my teaching so that if I have to get just a few lessons in during these critical days I will have chosen the right lessons. 

Leaders are not far from this in their influence. 

When a leader has the ability to train and influence those in his/her care it is their responsiblity to teach them diligently, raise up their character and place them in situations that will inspire them to greatness.  I liken a leader to a potter.  When they are given a new student it is like placing fresh clay on their table.  As they begin to mold and shape the clay it takes form and is unique from every other peice they have made before.  The elements in the clay, that were there before the potter began, also give each pot is unique shape and design. 

But, molding and shaping the clay is not the only task of the potter, they must finish the pot by placing it in the fires and hardening the clay.  Only then will the pot be able to be used for its intended purpose.  But once in the fire, there is no going back. Any imperfections in the pot will be set. 

A leader does the same with their followers.  They mold and shape them.  They set good examples for them to follow.  They instill in them the values they wish for them to have.  And then, they place them in the fire. 

Leaders understand the need for shaping their followers properly before placing them in the fire.  If you do it too soon, you risk setting in too many imperfections that will be difficult to correct.  But just like a child, a leader only has a short amount of time before the team sets their own.�

Leaders are often looked upon for many things.  They are looked up to for inspiration, guidance, direction, and so much more.  But possilby one of the most overlooked areas that a leader is looked up to is for HOPE.  Where there is hope there is a future, and one of the greatest gift a leader can pass to their followers is HOPE.
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In the 1940’s Nazi Germany was threatening the entire civilized world and Adolph Hitler was intimidating his neighbors.  As Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister of Britian, was cowering in the corner his predecessor, Sir Winston Churchill, was preparing to redeem his country.
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After the war, Winston Churchill was once asked by a reporter what his country’s greatest weapon was against Hitler’s Nazi regime. Without skipping a beat, he said: “It was what England’s greatest weapon has always been - hope.”
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John Maxwell teaches us that a leader must acheive the buy-in from their followers in regards to the vision.  But what gives the vision it’s power is simply the Hope it gives back to its followers.

In today’s job market, it appears to me that everyone is trying to find a job that they love.  In fact, for members of Gen-Y, job hopping and searching to find a job they love appears to be a hobby.  Jon Morrow - a twentysomething entreprenuer and interesting blogger who has good natural perspective - writes a great post on How To Find Work That You Love. 

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had a job that they loved?  I would offer, that a great deal of finding a job you love depends on your own perspective, and a Good Perspective is the key to finding happiness with anything.  However, instead of looking at it from Finding a Job You Love, lets look at it from a DL’s position. 

A DL is a Designated Leader, and, as one, you will endure a lot of pressure.  If you are in charge of a team it can be difficult to lift their spirits and present good leadership.

Last week I wrote about How To Influence an Employee Without Resentment, and I used an example of a Supervisor who used bad judgement in teaching his employees about customer service.  What you do as a leader has a massive impact on your team.  To paraphrase from Jim Collins‘ book, Good To Great, a leader’s roll is not to motivate the employees, but rather to not demotivate them. 

How many times have you seen a person who has been designated as a leader demotivate their team?  A thousand times, right? How you treat or motivate your team will impact their feelings towards their job and their boss, and at some level impact whether or not they have found a job they love.

Here are three suggestions to spark or increase the Joy in your team’s lives and potentially improve their perspective:

1. A keen understanding of where you stand.  Nothing is worse than standing in the middle of know where and not know where you are going.  Many times, teams are being blindly lead by there leaders with no comprehension of the team’s goals, where they are going, or where they stand.Share with your team the goals, and then turn them into their goals, in other words, get them to buy into them.  True joy will come from those who are devoted to a cause bigger than themselves.
2. Acknowledge others and lift those in need.  Positive reinforcement from the leader will do a great deal to lift your team’s spirits.  They need to hear praise and adoration on a regular basis, and those that are falling behind need to look up and see your hand helping them back up. 
3. Understand that Joy produces Strength.  Dr. John Maxwell says it best, “When you are winning, nothing hurts. When you are losing everything hurts.”When the team is joyful it will produce strength and with each new step you will increase momentum.  And believe me, momentum is a DL’s greatest ally. 

Share a little joy with your team and watch both of your perspectives rise.

The other day I was finishing up a workout at my local gym when I overheard a conversation between a supervisor and an employee.  Well, that is not entirely true, because I did not overhear it like I was eavedropping, I witnessed it along with many other employees and gym patrons.

The supervisor was attempting to teach a lesson in customer service, except he was an egotistical jerk who should not be in charge of anyone. 

“Say, Johnny. Do you know how many muscles it takes to smile?” he said as if it were trivia.

“Not Really.” replied the employee weary of the game.

The supervisor looks at another employee and sarcastically asks, “Can you tell him how many muscles it takes to frown.”

The other employee, eager to play along, mumbles his answer.  

“That is right! And it takes many more muscles to frown, than it does to smile.” he forcefully says, like a drill sergeant in boot camp.

“When you are at the front desk, you need to smile at every person. Got it?” he orders.

“Yes, sir” the employee says, while trying to hide from the eyes of the health patrons and the prideful smiles of his coworkers.

I do not think I need to continue any further with the story for you to understand what I am saying. 

The supervisor who intended to teach a lesson in customer service, did so by ridiculing and demeaning his employee in front of everyone.  And he accomplished little more than robbing this person of their dignity and honor, while humiliating them, and the message was entirely lost. 

This was probably the most ineffective way of ever getting your point across.  If the employee ever returns to work, the resentment for their boss will most likely be bursting from within them.

To be an efficient influencer of your employees or peers it is essential to lift them up and not tear them down.  A lesson is received very poorly when it is done in a contemptuous manner. 

So, how can you have this conversation and have it be well received?  Here are three simple rules that may help:

1. Talk about your own mistakes before offering a critique.  You may want to simply tell them a story, or make one up, about how you made a mistake in the past and how your supervisor devised a brilliant solution.  It would also be advisable to do it privately, and in a welcoming manner.
2. Pull the entire team together and teach an uplifting and inspiring message to everyone about your customer service vision, and include your expectations in it.  From there you will have a platform to work from.
3. Praise the slightest improvements honestly in front of everyone, and overlook the mistakes.  William James once said, “The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.”  This will give them a reputation to live up to and make them feel good about themselves. 

Being a titled leader who has to uphold the rules and expectations of the office can sometimes be a difficult task.  However, handling people is an art and done properly can create a beautiful picture.