I used to think that when someone reached the age I am now they were pretty solid in the things they believed in. As for me I find myself with more questions than answers and that is unsettling for me. No I don’t mean my core values. Those have and will remain solid for me through most of my life. I mean some of my beliefs in some of the institutions and people I have, in the past, held in high esteem are no longer self-evident.
I taught my last leadership class yesterday. It was a bittersweet moment for me. On the one hand I’m glad it is over because it is an enormous amount of work to put that on every week for three hours. On the other hand I will miss the folks that attended the class and their contribution to the quality of the event. One of the things I always share with the class is the “Top Ten Things You Need To Know About People.” Each time I look at this list I become more aware of its validity.
Here is the list I share with the participants of the leadership class:
- The number-one fear among all people is REJECTION.
- The number-one need among all people is ACCEPTANCE
- To lead people effectively, you must do it in a way that protects or enhances their SELF-ESTEEM
- EVERYBODY approaches every situation with at least some concern about “what’s in it for me?”
- EVERYBODY prefers to talk about things that are important to them personally.
- People hear and incorporate ONLY WHAT THEY UNDERSTAND.
- People like, trust, and believe those who like them.
- People often do things for other than the apparent reasons.
- Even people of quality can be and often are, petty and small.
- EVERYBODY wears a social mask. You must look beyond the mask to see the person.
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoy your Friday and the weekend. My favorite holiday is next week. Thanks for stopping by the blog. Be careful.
