| |
| |
|
Leadership Information |
|
The Happy Jar
I just delivered a free speech. I am a great believer in free speech, but an even greater believer in paid speech. However, there are good reasons why someone like me would deliver free speeches. For instance, to support a charity or a cause I believe in. Or if the audience is full of people who hire speakers. If you've ever spoken at a dinner or ran a workshop at a conference, you'll wince when I mention the dreaded "token of appreciation" presented to the speaker. In your head you think, "Oh no, not another T-shirt." I have my share of T-shirts, golf shirts, letter openers, books that do not interest me, sweets, ball caps, and pens. I don't need any more. Sigh. I suppose that's the price of free speech. Which brings me to my recent free speech, at the end of which I braced myself to face Dreaded Token. I was presented with a lovely gift bag brimming with colorful paper -- the perfect camouflage to conceal Dreaded Token until he was ready to pounce. Mercifully, Madam Group President did not make me open the bag in front of everyone. As I was preparing to leave, I sneaked a peak inside the bag. To my surprise, there was a candy jar with dozens of tiny plastic smiley faces glued to the lid. Around the lid were foam-rubber multi-colored letters that read "Happy Guy". Wow! It was hand-made. Madam Group President took the time to craft a personal gift. How thoughtful. Dreaded Token, you have met your match. Meet Happy Jar. If you have ever been a parent, valuing more the hand-made card your little daughter scribbles for you than any present she could buy, you know how I felt when I met Happy Jar. I can't wait for my daughter to be old enough to draw so I can feel that way more often. In life, little things really do count. You might be tempted to dismiss them, but they are the seeds that grow up into the garden of your life. Not all little things are good, but yours can be ? if you are willing to make a small effort. Madam Group President could have handed me a T-shirt or a ball cap or leftover fruit cake from last Christmas. (Yes, I was once presented with left-over fruitcake.) But she invested her effort instead and I have something wonderful to write about today. You can make someone's day just by making that same little effort. I sent an encouraging e-mail to lift a friend's spirits today. It worked. Those carefully chosen words brought her mood right back up. I'm sure you can guess how great that made me feel, too. When Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the epic This Is The Place raved to me about the writing in my book, I felt on top of the world. (It's not the huge $75 royalty checks every three months that inspire authors to write.) She then raved to Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com and a dozen other book review web sites. Do I have to tell you how her little extra effort made me feel? I know I am blessed to be surrounded by so many thoughtful people, but I also know that we reap what we sow. What are you sowing? Are you making the time to give a little extra to people around you? Are you sowing seeds of happiness in your garden of life? With the right seeds and a little extra effort, you may find more Happy Jars in your life than Dreaded Tokens. And of course, let us not forget the magic words to keep those Happy Jars coming: "Thank you Madam Group President." David Leonhardt is The Happy Guy. He is a motivational speaker and author of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. Buy the book at Amazon.com. About The Author David Leonhardt is The Happy Guy, and author of Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. Visit him at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Father Knows Best A good strong example of a family leader would be Joshua in the Bible. He was a true spiritual leader and a strong man of God. The Best Ways To Multiply The Extraordinary Leadership in Your Organization Extraordinary Leaders are those who understand that in order for theorganization to grow and make the maximum impact that it can, the leadershipbase in the organization must grow first and grow strong enough to hold thegrowth. If this does not happen, the organization will either not grow orwill grow and then crumble because there is no solid foundation ofleadership. 5 Steps on How to Set and Achieve Your Goals Which one is a goal? I will lose 15 pounds I want to run a marathon Quit smoking All of the above None of the above The correct answer is (5) - none of the above. The first three are wishes, not goals. It's Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 1) Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who Moved My Cheese? The book, a best seller still, is a wonderful allegory of the things that drive and motivate us. I personally loved the book, perhaps because I read it in one night. In Leadership, Dreams Are The Stuff That Great Results Are Made Of Leadership is motivational or it's stumbling in the dark. The best leaders don't order people to do a job, the best leaders motivate people to want to do the job. The Goals of Leadership Coaching and Partnerships Webster's Dictionary describes a "partner" as an ally or an association built around common interests and goals.A partnership denotes a joint venture, a relationship built on equal status (rather than inequality). The Challenge to Lead The topic of leadership has been and continues to be one of the most vital topics in human history. From ancient civilizations to modern day multi-national corporations, men and women of passion, fervor and zeal have sought to discover the secrets of moving others beyond the gray of their mundane reality to the rich array of colors that embody the palate of the extraordinary life. Are You Playing or Practicing Leadership? Anne was a new supervisor, and like many new supervisors she took the new role as a manager and leader seriously. She took advantage of training that was offered to her. Is Your Life Ready For Groundhog Day? In the hit comedic movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character, Phil Conners, is caught up in a time warp, doomed to live the same day over and over until he gets it right. Hilarious as the ensuing mayhem may be on the big screen, it is a poignant and not too thinly veiled metaphor for how most of us live our own lives - mindlessly occupied with our own issues and concerns, stumbling through life (often over the toes of others) with little if any conscious direction or critical thought. Two Leadership Traps: How To Avoid Them and How To Get Out Of Them (Part 2) Here's how to get out of, or avoid, the "I need .. Choose Your Best Life: Where Are Your Choices Leading You? According to the dictionary choice means "to select freely after consideration, to have a preference for, to take an alternative and of high caliber." Based on this definition, I believe choice is the act of careful selection, identifying preferences and exploring quality alternatives that lead to freedom. Ask Yourself Whats In It For WE? "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. The Synergy Effect Have you ever considered that everything you want in life comes from someone else? The greatest minds in any field are keenly aware of the value of working with and involving others in life plans, business, work and personal commitments.We often have the notion that we operate in a vacuum, and that we are solely responsible for everything that happens in our lives. Dont be Afraid to Lead! In most aspects of human activity, the pendulum of fashion swings back and forth between extremes, passing briefly through the point of balance on every swing.For a while, we were told leadership was all about setting clear objectives and holding people accountable. Chris Top 7 Favorite Leadership Books 1. The West Point Way of Leadership. Transformational Leadership "What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of the people answer "leadership is the capacity or an ability of a person to lead". Earlier theories of leadership viz. Leadership Prep So you want to be a leader? Or you want to be a better leader? It can be done, you know. No matter where you are in your leadership journey, you CAN move forward. E=MC - Is It In Me? How many times have you seen the E = MC2 formula andwondered what it might mean to you?Old Einstein had a lot more up his sleeve than fancyalgebraic equations. This particular "thought experiment"still inspires discoveries of various sorts throughout theworld today. The Three Factors of Leadership Motivation Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you can't get results by yourself. Rationalize Success Away I was invited to do a Leadership workshop at a well known Fortune 100 company out in New Jersey. The all day event was geared toward their new crop of interns.
|
| home | site map | contact us |