I am amazed repeatedly at the insight and intuition of young people. At the age of 12, I thought being a teacher was the best thing that could happen in a person’s life. What greater calling could there be than helping others learn and make that marvelous sound out-loud….aahhhh. Some 50 years later, watching the “lights go on” in someone’s eyes as they tilt their head slightly backwards is still an amazing event. The trick, then, is to be silent, to move gently to the side so an idea can launch. My 6th grade teacher was that difference maker for me…..and I am still trying to pass that gift on to others.
Growing up in a large family on a farm was the best training for me. Taught me most of the skills that serve me today. Didn’t know that at the time, but it is true. Preparing the fields, planting, irrigating, driving a tractor while cultivating or plowing, milking the cows, feeding the horses, changing oil in a motor, learning to drive a 10 wheeler, backing a tractor with a piece of equipment around a corner, weeding the garden or harvesting a crop – all helped develop the necessary basic skills: planning, discipline, perseverance, caring, hard work, helping out, problem solving, following through, celebrating – and then resting and starting over again in the Spring. Life has seasons too!
Today, people would not call me a “teacher” in the traditional sense of the word, but I truly believe that no matter what you call it – consultant, trainer, facilitator – I am first and foremost a Teacher. I believe it to be a noble role…a good teacher can change lives.
At the Effectiveness Institute, I work each day to cause 5 motivators to be alive in every person. The fascinating discovery to me is these motivators are not goals to be set and achieved. They are the residual left over when people work together. More specifically: trust, respect, dignity, efficacy and generativity are a direct result of how we treat each other. It goes back to those long ago lessons learned on the farm – whether working in corporate America or private America, with big companies or small, with CEO’s or Olympic athletes; being clear with the agenda, persistent in the effort, focused on results and respectful in our interactions – allows each of us to be a difference maker.
