A Great Leader is a Thankful Person

When people think of important leadership characteristics, thankfulness is probably not usually at the top of the list, but maybe it should.

Being thankful is a sign of contentment and also a sign that you are paying attention to what is going on in your organization or team. A thankful person notices people and appreciates what they are doing. A leader must be "other-focused". Self-consumed people are rarely thankful because they only pay attention to their own actions and other's reactions to them.

As you sit around a table this Thursday think about this concept. Would others describe you as thankful? Do you constantly show appreciation to others for how they make your life and organization better?

Be a thankful person. Be a leader.

The Bystander Effect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIvGIwLcIuw


In Psychology this week, my class studied the bystandar effect. In definition, this is the effect that when people are in a group, they are more likely to follow the patterns of that group than they are to take a stand and help someone else, even someone in distress.

This video is disturbing. In summary, an experiment is conducted to see how people will respond to a staged kidnapping on the streets of New York City. For 2 hours, people do nothing but just watch as the girl screams, "This is not my dad, this is not my dad!" as she is being dragged away. It is two hours of doing this experiment before two men finally decide to step in and stop him.

What we need in society is more leaders like the ones we see in this video. As we go through life, we see many things going on and expect someone else to do something about it rather than ourselves. Why not be that person who steps up?

Quote for the Day

“I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.” -Frederick Douglass

How often do we find ourselves doing nothing and expecting something to happen? If we want to do anything in life, we have to step up ourselves and do it, not wait for someone else. No one is going to get you into college for you. No one will apply for scholarships for you. No one can decide your major or your career goals for you. Find a goal, make a plan, and follow through with the plan.