Leadership lesson #seven “to be efficient as a leader utilise all your five senses”.

It’s well documented that proper development of a baby is around the five senses of sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. A simple illustration is found on this link https://www.theschoolrun.com/homework-help/our-senses . I have this thought that if my daughter was in a 5 Senses high school she would be top of the class as her senses are working on cruise control. What she sees (sense 1) she wants to immediately wants to touch (sense 2) without delay and taste (sense 3) to see if she will like it more. She has an amazing rhythm that when she hears(sense 4) a sound she goes with the beat, head starts moving and the rest of the body follows. She can dance some much I wonder sometimes if Mummy’s Tummy school was an influence J.

If it smells (sense 5) good it’s likely to be nice and if other way than no touching is how she approaches new items. The 5 senses are so important for good development for child and we can learn a few points also for the development of a leader. Here are the points:

Sight- as a leader you should be able to see opportunities quicker than anyone else. You are a leader so lead the way.

Smell- the smell of success is good but the stronger smell of a successful team is sweeter. Let your team smell sweeter.

Touch- we all have our moments when we have a bad or stressful day. It’s up to a leader to notice this so that you can give a helping hand to re-boost the energy levels. My current leader does this in an amazing way. He has an eye to notice when you feel stressed that he walks to you and gives you a good shoulder massage. That for me shows he cares for me and after that I feel better. It does not need to be a massage only e.g sharing a joke to lighten the mood, refilling the water bottle for your team member etc. NB: be gender sensitive here as you do not want to be called in to the Principals office.

Taste- do not be afraid once in a while to find out what the team feels about you. This helps you improve as a person. Preferable an informal chat one on one over tea/lunch break and not a group discussion. Great leaders take time to learn from their teams as they are not perfect. When you grow the team will want to grow with you. 

Hearing- This is very important especially if it’s effectively done. Listen with and not for a purpose. There is no team member who does not want to be heard when they share their thoughts. Be a tactful leader who wants the best for their team.

Whether for a development of a baby or the growth of a leader we all need to understand and effectively use our five senses. Know your strengths to make then stronger and your weaknesses to allow them not to grow further. Now go on and make every moment count.

Next lesson is Leadership lesson #eight “keep a happy song in your heart”.