Positive Leadership

Yesterday was pretty cool. After sharing my story of all the negatively ambitious people, several people decided to be positively ambitious. So many of you reached out yesterday: current, old, and new friends. I connected with a gentlemen from Tennessee who loves history as much as me. We had such a positive conversation talking about the Declaration of Independence and John and Abigail Adams!

Then, it was time to get Julia.

I picked her up from school. She stayed after for a club. She was telling me about her meeting. She had a good time, but she wasn’t sure when she needed to be picked up tomorrow because the “kids are in charge… and nobody knows what they’re doing”.

The conversation continued. She mentioned sometimes she didn’t think the teachers knew what they were doing. I began to go on a long diatribe about how leadership will be one of her generation’s biggest challenges. I rambled and didn’t completely finish my thought.

However, I was trying to make the point that she’s in high school. The kids are in charge, so they can learn to be leaders. She can’t expect them to be perfect off the bat. She should do her best to support them. Build their confidence, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and be a good listener because you never know when it’s going to be her turn to lead.

The world needs more leaders and more positivity. It needs more positive leaders—those who are patient and teach, who guide with compliments instead of complaints, who aren’t afraid to fail, and who are always looking for an opportunity to learn and grow. Positive leaders help build positive leaders.

Thank you to all the positive leaders out there—those who aren’t afraid to reach out and help someone grow. Whether you are leading a NASCAR team, a Fortune 500 company, or just your family, do it with a smile. Someone else is watching and waiting for their turn to lead. Make the transition positive.

Peace & Love,

Jeff Mayhugh