"If every time a child comes up with an opinion he is squelched and put in his place, he learns that it is 'right' for him to be a nobody, and 'wrong' to be a somebody." Maltz

Many parents, teachers, and coaches understand this idea and try to encourage children whenever they can. Great leaders also use this principle with adults.

What if you replaced the word ‘child’ in this quote with the spouse? Co-worker? Team member? Employee?

This week I talked to several coaching clients and they all referenced really bad meetings. One of them told a story about the leader who discounted everyone’s idea at the table because it wasn’t his. Have you ever experienced that? Or perhaps you’re having a conversation with someone on social media or a friend over coffee. It doesn’t feel good to have your idea invalidated, does it?

How you handle someone else’s opinion or idea goes a long way toward successful leadership and it is imperative to get the results...

“Any situation or circumstance is a chance to teach others what YOU are and what THEY are to you.” Anonymous

If you run a weekly staff meeting and it always starts 5 minutes late, what are you communicating? You may be communicating that you are disorganized and your people’s time isn’t valuable.

If you ‘stand on principles’ during the customer service process and don’t serve well, what do you communicate? You may be communicating that the most important person in this is YOU and the customer isn’t important- nor their business.

If you struggle to make decisions for and with your people in a challenging situation, what are you communicating? You may be communicating your insecurities and that they need to lead themselves.

See, EVERY situation is an opportunity to show people who you are as a leader AND to help them see what you believe about them. How well are you communicating what you really desire? Are you in alignment and...