“Let us all be the leaders we wish we had.”
― Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last
When you hear a word Leader what are the associations you have? What does leadership mean for you? I am not asking you for correct definitions, theories or google search, simply whatever your mind brings up.
My life’s greatest leaders are my Mother and my Sister. They build me up, support me, take care of me, motivate, inspire, listen, believe in me. They always bring out the best in me. They are my biggest fans, unconditional lovers, everyday empowerers. They make it possible for me to follow my dreams, they shape who I am. They are the best gifts of my life.
I have met so many leaders in my life who were literally life-changing people, each of them led me to the person I am becoming and I am truly grateful for all the words they said, actions they took and ways they influenced my growth. And every day I meet at least one leader. I can endlessly talk what leader and leadership mean for me and how I believe that every single human is, can be a leader if they choose to be, but here I want to share with you, how one random young boy I met on the street of Rome made this month insightful and all about Leadership.
This August I tried out a job in a restaurant, I worked as a hostess. I left my comfort zone and stood outside next to a restaurant - which I like, I was there five times for dinner before I started to work and started this experience - with an agenda to smile, greet and approach every person walking by.
First two days were adaptive, I had to overcome some level of shyness, I had to speak up louder, be mindful and so much more. My main goal always was to make someone smile, so I gifted my smile to everyone, I met lovely people and I enjoyed my experience and every evening I would reflect on:
1. What did I learn today?
2. What are the gifts of today?
3. What can I do tomorrow to get the best out of this experience?
On the third day, I saw a young boy and girl walking to my direction with a message on his bag: ‘SERVE, INSPIRE, CHANGE’. It was from some leadership school and when they got closer I told them:
- That is exactly what I am doing
They asked:
- What?
And I repeated:
- This is exactly what we are doing here, we Serve, Inspire and Change.
They laughed and on that lovely note, they choose to stay, they enjoyed their meal and time. It was one of the brightest moments of the day. And for me, these three words became an everyday inspiration.
If we apply this approach to our lives, in our everyday activities, is it our work, relationships, friendships, in any interaction; if we just serve others, inspire them and make a positive change - then we are leaders.
We make our job significant, no matter what we are doing. We as living humans have huge power to make an impact. Such little thing as a sincere smile or compliment, honest, joyful interaction can make a day for your employees, colleagues, guests and customers. And if you cannot find meaning in your job, ask yourself:
What is the value of being a human?
What makes you unique?
What is your purpose in life?
Your customer or any person comes to you for an experience.
If your aim to leave them in a better state than before they found you;
If you appreciate your role;
If you value people and yourself;
If you don’t forget to think of purpose when you are setting goals for your profit;
If you are ready to ‘Serve, Inspire, Change’ no matters of your position;
Then here I am recognizing you as a Leader, telling you that you matter, the world needs you and may it be empowerment for you to keep believing in yourself!
Being a Leader is not a position it is a lifestyle.
Leadership is something you bring in your position not something a position brings in you. Every day there is a moment when we get the chance to make a positive change when we can take action, show initiative.
Simply by gifting a smile, saying a compliment, letting another person know how important they are, do something for someone, helping with a heavy bag, holding a door, taking care of ourselves, making sure someone took care of oneself, preparing a meal for someone else, paying for someones drink or ride, taking the trash from the ground and putting it into a recycling bin and the list goes on.
Serve, Inspire, Change and be a leader you wish to see in a world.
Now, would you call yourself a leader?
P.S. Take time to reflect on people you could call leaders and feel free to share which actions (yours or of others) do you consider as an act of leadership in everyday life?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maiko Solomnishvili is an International Coach based in Rome, Italy. She provides an individual approach for every client by combining her background in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience and by applying authenticity, empathy & vulnerability. She has a rich experience of working with people from different age groups and nationalities as a non-formal Educator, Facilitator and Inspirational Speaker on topics of Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Emotional Intelligence, and Global Goals.
The original article was published on LinkedIn.