Giggling with Pride
Pride used to be conceit. It turned angels into devils. But today you should be proud of yourself. Parents encourage their kids to feel it.
Not all pride is equal. I’ve seen good pride at work.
Proud of Themselves
Two leaders flew halfway across the country to visit a member of their team who was recovering from successful cancer surgery.
Their trip came up during a coaching conversation with one of them. He told me the only goal of the trip was to support a leader on the team. After the plane landed, they went shopping for flowers and gifts.
They laughed in the aisles, giddy with generosity.
4 Ways to Giggle with Pride:
#1. Rise above self-focus.
Life shrivels when it centers on you.
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Albert Einstein
#2. Extend encouragement.
Don’t wait to be encouraged. Focusing on disappointments leads to dissatisfaction.
Show up to lift up.
#3. Show up when it’s inconvenient.
Love costs time and energy. Presence is the gift.
Beauty isn’t efficient.
#4. When in doubt, act generously.
When you wonder whether to encourage someone, do it.
Childlike Joy
There’s something childlike about feeling good about doing good that grownups hide. Maybe we don’t want to appear proud.
Dickens explains joy when Scrooge wakes up. “I don’t know what to do!’ cried Scrooge, … I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken man.”
The world needs leaders who feel pride because they have big hearts.
What could you do today, that would cause you to feel pride?
What a powerful story!
One of the biggest challenges to leadership is being unaware of our weaknesses and blindspots. And, unfortunately, those things can tank our success. Being humble enough to pursue self awareness in those areas is a huge step in the right direction.
The lessons on leadership in this book are awesome! The writing is absolutely incredible! The story grabbed me from page one and didn’t let me go until I finished. And the practical application steps will help anyone grow into the kind of leader that makes their world a better place.
Great job, Dan Rockwell, and John David Mann!
fail on the side of generosity …. over give
I like your post, Dan – Thank you.
Thanks, Ken. It’s a great rule. When we wonder what to give or how to help, we try to make the generous choice. Better to say we did too much than we did too little.
I can see by the lack of responses it would seem (to me at least) the public does not share this message – but I can tell you from experience over 40 years of being a manager of others that doing good in some way for those you are responsible for is how you grow trust and shared leadership.
For me it is simple to do. Just drop a birthday card on their desk in their office/cube; if there is an illness in the their family, a handwritten note to hope the get better soon – and especially a work anniversary where YOU bring the celebratory pastries of choice to the office to mark the milestone. I could go on and on, but doing for those who make up your TEAM will go a long way to having their trust and knowing (hopefully) they will have YOUR BACK when needed.
One last word of caution; don’t do these things because you HAVE TO to gain their trust and respect; it only works if it is IN YOUR HEART TO CARE ABOUT YOUR TEAM. If it is not from YOUR heart, they will know that and nobody wins in those circumstances.
Thank you, Mark. Such an encouraging comment. Your point about heart is well taken. Few things in leadership are more powerful than acting with heart.