Lessons in Leadership from Young People

Over the past few months, I have rediscovered some leadership and life practices that I had subconsciously allowed to lose their importance because of the seriousness and all-encompassing requirements of managing the daily grind of life. This was a “complete task at hand first” mindset that eventually took over and may have kept me from reaching my full potential each day.  

It happened when my wife and I started caring for our youngest grandson. This gave me the opportunity to see how he approached each day — through the lens of a baby. Ultimately, I picked up some valuable lessons.  

Stay Curious 

There is so much to explore in life regardless of one’s age. My grandson wakes up curious every morning. As soon as he is out of his crib, he explores and experiments with everything he can put his hands on.  

This motivated me to regain my curiosity about my aspiration to be a life-long learner and great leader. I’d ask myself, what can I learn today about my team members that can help me support them in ways most important to them? Do I listen with curiosity? Do I ask questions like, “What if we did this?” when exploring options for making improvements?  

I also realized I had stopped being curious about certain matters because I had concluded I was already good enough in that area. I had unintentionally stunted my growth, but as I restored my curiosity, I changed my mindset to one where there is always room for improvement. With increased regularity I asked what the best practices are and who might be doing them better. How can I become an exceptional leader — not just for me, but for my team?  

Be Enthusiastic 

Enthusiasm is contagious. My grandson roars with excitement when he recognizes and is engaged in meeting a challenge. And get out of his way when he achieves the smallest of goals because he cheers in celebration.  

How enthusiastic am I about performing the routine duties and responsibilities of the job? Do others sense my enthusiasm? Do I celebrate and recognize others’ success? Does my attitude encourage or motivate others to be successful and achieve? Do I bring positive energy that lifts others up? I started to ask myself these questions as mental preparation for engaging with people throughout the day.  

A quote I remembered after observing my grandson’s enthusiasm is by Walter Chrysler, who said: “The real secret to success is enthusiasm.” 

Walking and Falling  

As a toddler, learning how to walk is a significant and proud developmental milestone. But I would argue that the more powerful milestone worthy of celebrating is learning how to get back up after falling.  

My grandson is not yet walking on his own, but he spends time on his feet, and as is the case when learning something new, he has fallen. He cries like a baby (well, he is a baby) but manages after a period to get back up to resume his enthusiastic exploration, which is learning.  

I am reminded of the times I have fallen, meaning I’ve made mistakes that led to a feeling of failure. Some of my perceived failures were more painful and had repercussions while some were minor setbacks and something to simply learn from. Meanwhile, some perceived failures required a serious debriefing and assessment to determine what went wrong with the focus on avoiding a similar mistake in the future.  

No need for blaming or crying too long over it. Find solutions, get advice, develop an action plan and make another attempt. If you fall again, rinse and repeat, then make another attempt. My grandson cries sometimes but he gets back up and keeps trying.  

As Bill Gates once said, “It is fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”  

Gene Woodard, R.E.H., spent more than 45 years in the cleaning industry, retiring as the director of building services at the University of Washington, before which he spent almost a decade at Emanual Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Gene was also a founding member of the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges Steering Committee and served for many years as an advisory board member of Facility Cleaning Decisions magazine.