Is Your Dog a Better Leader Than You?

Happy Chinese New Year – Year of the Dog!

If your year didn't quite get off to the start you wanted, think about using Chinese New Year – this Friday, February 16th – as a reboot!

Dogs are the only creature on earth that act like their name spelled backwards. (Tweet This)

Does your dog have better leadership skills than you? What leadership lessons can our dogs teach us? Most dogs have their owners well trained. In fact, when an alien sees a person pick up after the dog at the park they must say, "I see who their leader is!"

Here are 7 leadership skills our dogs have that we should adopt or enhance for ourselves:

1. Assume everybody loves me.

Dogs have no doubt that you love them even if you are allergic. They pay little attention to what others think of them and are confident that they will be loved.

2. Talk to strangers.

In a dog's mind a stranger is a friend that they just haven't met yet. It matters little to the dog what your status is; whether you are a man or woman, rich or poor, black or white, a dog only seems to care about your character not your status.

There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met. — William Butler Yeats (Tweet This)

3. Forgive quickly.

If you are a little late with food they don’t hold a grudge. Dogs seem to believe in instant forgiveness.

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. — Mahatma Ghandi (Tweet This)

4. Be enthusiastic about life.

You can play with your dog all day and then leave for 30 seconds. When you reappear, the dog will greet you as if it's been days since they have seen you. What if you responded that way to people in your life?

Enthusiasm is contagious, and the person who has it, under control, is generally welcome in any group of people. — Napoleon Hill (Tweet This)

5. Play every day.

A dog is always ready to go to the park and play; things are rarely too serious not to play. Play helps us with creativity and is a good stress release.

“Live and work but do not forget to play, to have fun in life and really enjoy it. — Eileen Caddy ( Tweet This)

6. Practice loyalty.

Dogs are committed to their people through thick and thin, ups and downs, good moods and bad.

Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family. ( Tweet This)

7. Be coachable.

Dogs are incredibly coachable and have learned to do many things like fetch newspapers, catch objects, ring a bell, and rescue.

Please add to the conversation—comment below or on Twitter at @gregbellspeaks.

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Greg Bell is a keynote speaker, recognized thought leader, and author of Water The Bamboo: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals. Learn more about his Water The Bamboo Leadership Development System for your team or attend his Public Leadership Seminar on February 27th.

He believes self-improvement is a daily exercise, so make sure to follow or add him as a connection on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for his newsletter at www.gregbellspeaks.com.