Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Kids' behaviour can often teach you a lot about life. Including leadership lessons. How? Read on to find out.
Kids’ behaviour can often teach you a lot about life. Including leadership lessons. How? Read on to find out.
I was at a kids park a few days back. A bunch of kids playing and having fun under the vigil of parents / guardians. One particular kid who was about 2 year old caught my attention. You know those kids who have mischief written all over the face – he was clearly one of those. He played for a few minutes, had his share of fun and then decided that he wanted his mummy to carry him. The mom for some reason had decided that she will not carry the the kid. So here’s what happened..
Baby : “Mummy, please carry me..” in a reasonable tone
Mummy: Ignores the request.. Continues talking with other people she knows..
Baby: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah… Yelling and Howling to create a scene “Carry me.. Carry me!”
Mummy: Starts walking ahead .. Takes a few steps turns back and tells “Come to me and I’ll carry you.”
Baby: Completely ignores the mom and starts yelling even louder and rolling on the ground throwing a full blow tantrum. (If you are a parent, you can identify with this I guess.)
Mummy (More assertively).. “Come fast, I am going home”.. Looks ahead and starts walking faster..
Baby (unsure of his next move).. Takes a few steps towards mummy.. yells more loudly
Mummy (Looks back, and is giving a victory smile) that he has started walking..
Can you guess what happened next? Is mummy the winner? Well.. This is what the baby did..
Baby took a few steps back to the original spot and pulled down his pants.. I kid you not! I was shocked! Everyone present was totally amused and in splits of laughter. And the mummy ran as fast as she could towards her baby, dressed him up, carried him and ran home. And I’ll bet you that the kid did give a victory smile to the world at large. One that I will never forget in my life. Honestly, I laughed as I witnessed this entire episode.
But the episode got me thinking.. In leadership many times the question which plagues you is ‘How to get what you want?’ Especially when the others are not naturally inclined to give it to you. Well, I found some answers from the kid’s behavior from the episode above.
1) Be clear on what you want – In the narrative above the kid was clear that he will not walk and that his mummy should carry him.
2) First, ask politely. Put forth your request as clearly as you can.
3) If it is not heeded, then ask with authority / power. Again, be clear on the ask.
4) Last but not least, find creative ways to get them to do it. Be it by putting them in the spot, challenging them or … whatever works between you and them. It is OK to pull down your pants I guess if it gets you want you want 🙂
That’s my first leadership lesson of 2016.. All is fair in love and leadership as long as the job gets done.
So as a leader, what is your mantra on How to get what you want?’ Leave a comment to let me know..
Join the Women’s Web Network for women at work by filling in the form below. You will receive a monthly newsletter from us with great resources, plus we’ll keep you posted on all Women’s Web events in your city!
Image source: colour cubes with book and pencil by Shutterstock.
First published at LinkedIN
Working Mom • Marketologist - Digital Artisan - Brand Storyteller • Ideapreneur • Writer - Blogger - Columnist • IIMB Alumni • Mentor • Horizon Gazer • Alchemist • Creator - Connector - Catalyst - Collaborator - Community Builder • Chief Happiness Officer of my Life read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
Please enter your email address