7 Lessons Children Teach Us About Leadership In The Workplace:

Recently, I became a first-time father and took a moment to reflect upon what we can learn from children, and how it applies to leadership in the workplace.

#1 Have a plan. Constantly evaluate your plan against what you are learning. Be open to the idea that the strategy which is working today may not work in the future.

#2 Commitment to outcomes. Be committed to outcomes, not products or services. The landscape is sure to change and what clients need today may not be what they need tomorrow.

#3 Seek first to understand. Clients cannot always articulate clearly or concisely what they need and why they choose a particular product or service. Don’t underestimate the power of observation in the field.

#4 Communicate. It is not always easy, but it is essential to helping others succeed.

#5 Laugh, smile and enjoy. If you show people how to laugh, smile and enjoy, they will show up every day excited, committed, and certain they can accomplish everything.

#6 Process is far more than our documented practices and workflows. It is, in fact, our routine and how we arrive at every decision. Process creates patterns and ultimately influences what we individually and collectively believe we can and cannot do. It results in statements like ‘we don't do it this way, we do it that way.’ As effective as our processes may be, they can limit our way of thinking and our ability to pivot when clients demand it.

#7 Service is key: Fatherhood has changed my contextualization and socialization of service. Great leaders serve customers, employees, communities, and investors. As I am learning, the true reward of helping others is, in fact, how much we grow. An old mentor once shared that “when one person teaches, two people learn.”

Author’s Note: Every idea herein was written at the time I experienced it. While I have no intention to plagiarize, I acknowledge history has many great minds and nearly all these ideas are may not be original despite my authentic interpretation. #BD_Klaas