School holidays impact everyone in different ways. For some, they come and go with no impact, for others, they are time to switch off from work and take a break with family, and for others it’s a constant juggle of entertaining kids, and maintaining focus at work.
For me, over the past week, I was lucky enough to escape the rat race and spend some time with my kids, and immerse myself in their world. And as I inevitably do, I don’t completely switch off from work, as it is part of who I am. So I started to reflect on leadership and what lessons we can learn from kids.
Firstly, my biggest surprise is how we, as adults, have actually unlearnt so many leadership behaviours over our working life. How have we as a society, facilitated this? (but that’s for another Thursday Thought Starter!).
Here’s my top 5 leadership lessons from my 6 year old twins:
1. Be present So present, so engrossed in what you are doing, so single focused on that one thing that you do not – and cannot – hear your mother, despite her calling your name 5 times!
2. Drink from the fire hydrant of knowledge Ask questions, the more the better – kids thirst for knowledge is unquenchable. Get curious and seek to understand all things around you. Find new perspectives: live each moment, and every day, as a new experience.
3. Be collaborative, creative, and playful Kids build connection, and play with new friends with great comfort and ease. They don’t see differences, they see similarities. They are transparent, honest and sincere in their feelings. They leverage each other’s ideas and use their imagination to keep them interested and motivated.
4. Fearlessness and risk taking Kids pursue their ideas and interests fearlessly. They take risks without being concerned about failure. There is no comfort zone – every new day is free of mistakes and failures, and therefore another day to learn and innovate.
5. Keep the momentum Act fearlessly and optimistically in the face of adversity. Don’t dwell on the issue, don’t hold a grudge, find a way forward, move on and have fun!
Okay – so I admit – being a grown up is not as carefree as being a kid. And, my kids are certainly not always the best version of themselves. Yet we can all stop and reflect on what would benefit us today, in this moment, from the list above!
