OUTSTANDING LEADERS

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.
Sam Walton

I had a dream the other night that I was attending a sales meeting for my current place of corporate employment (not my self-employment, which is part of my journey to amazing).  This was one of those meetings where all the employees were gathered from around the area and packed into our store in Loveland, CO.  Our district manager was up front, flipping her hair, and going on about how all her employees were making her look bad in the rankings.  Her comments were snide and belittling.  In the middle of this sales "beating" I suddenly stood up and proceeded to the front where I firmly took the microphone from her and began to speak.  My first words were not kind...in fact, they were also belittling and sharp tongued.  Many a time we have set through these meetings where we are made to feel anything but amazing.  In my dream, this time was the last.  I had had enough of watching her orchestrate wardrobe changes throughout our meetings so that she could share her obsession with shopping.

Before the shock-value of my actions and words could fully fade, I leaned over to an employee sitting toward the front and asked her name.  I then asked her to share with me something about herself that she considered amazing.  She was a bit puzzled, and it became obvious this shift in perspective was alien to her.  She commented that she really didn't know.  I then asked her if there was something that she liked to do outside of work that allowed her to escape...something she could get lost in and that she knew she could do really well.  Her face lit up as she shared that she loved to create picture frames.  She shared that when she began to personalize picture frames with different craft material, it would inspire her.  In fact, many friends thought she should consider marketing her creations.  She described that when she was in that creative mode she felt amazing.  I then asked her if anyone in this company had ever made her feel that way...inspired or amazing.  Her answer was, "No, not once."

I then went to another employee and asked him to share something about himself that he found amazing.  He shared that he loved to jump on his bike and take power rides through the mountains.  It boosted his confidence and self-esteem, and helped him cope with stress.  He explained that when he was cycling through the mountains, the thrill of coasting down the mountain and taking the turns was amazing to him...he felt alive and felt like he could accomplish anything.  I then asked him if he had the same feelings about his work.  He, too, answered, "No, not once."

I then began to speak, "I love who I am, and I believe I deserve nothing less than amazing.  In fact, I want to tell you that every one of you are absolutely amazing.  You deserve amazing in your life.  You deserve to feel the joy of inspiration and the exhilaration of success.  Never settle for anything less than amazing.  Never let anyone tell you that you are less than amazing.  Please, answer this question for me...If your managers were to come to you and tell you how proud they were of you, and they constantly encouraged you or told you of the best qualities you portrayed, how would that make you feel?  Amazing?"

"If you take time to understand that out of 7 billion people on this earth, you are the only one with the exact set of talents, gifts, and strengths...that you are the only "you" in this world, that should feel pretty amazing.  Why is it that we don't feel amazing...that we don't experience amazing...that we don't live amazing?  Somewhere along the road, when we are doing what feels or seems amazing, someone comes along and tells us that it is wrong.  We get told over and over, until we start to believe it.  They tell us that we must act, live, work, and maybe play certain ways in order to get what we want, then we will feel amazing...but we don't.  We feel tired, overextended, frustrated, stressed, and worn out.  We loose our dreams and our visions.  We settle for less than amazing and end up just trying to survive."

"I find it sad that I go to work every day and by the time I get done, the only thing I don't feel is amazing.  Management pushes us to perform above and beyond, and I understand it, but I believe that what they push, or the way they push, is very wrong.  In fact, what comes to mind when you hear the word 'push'?  It is an act of aggression!  In the legal system, pushing is called assault.  Yet here we are getting pushed harder and harder every day, and there are no corporate police to penalize someone for assaulting another human being."

"In my world; in the world that I find amazing, I'm not pushed, I'm celebrated.  I'm encouraged, I'm made to feel amazing.  When I feel amazing, then I live amazing.  When I live amazing, then I am amazing and I get comments from my customers that their experience was also amazing.  Amazing brings about amazing.  Assault breeds injustice.  My friends, in all that you do, in all that you are, in all that you are yet to become, I want you to know that you are amazing.  You deserve nothing less!"

Well, it was quite a dream.  I'm not sure if I got fired or not...or if my outburst had any affect on the way corporate America treats their employees.  It certainly felt good to get that off my sub-conscious, though.  It is one of the reasons I have decided to take this journey to amazing.  I am determined that the only time I will stop along this journey will be perhaps to smell the roses.  Oh, and maybe also to count my blessings.  Sam Walton had it right...Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.