Act As If

My sister and I grew up having to keep our toys organized on a bookshelf. We were not allowed to pull everything off the bookshelf. We would have to put away the toy we had out before pulling something else from the shelf. That was the standard. I never knew anything different until the first time I spent the night with a friend.

As I grew up and had my own house, I would keep a chest of toys for children that may come over for a visit and I put the same standard into practice. For most children, this was unusual, but they went along with it because that’s the standard I set.

I remember one time when a group of children were over playing in the basement and as I started down the stairs, I heard them say, “Here she comes!” And they quickly scrambled to get themselves in order.

How often do we drop the ball when we think no one is looking?

What if we had a standard practice so we’d never be caught off-guard?

Some people will dress up, sit up, and carry themselves differently if the top leader is in the room. 

What if we treated everyone as if they were the top leader? Realistically, in a year or two, that person who just joined the organization may be your leader.

What if we had the mindset to treat everyone the same? What if we wrote every e-mail with the thought that it will get forwarded? What if we left voicemail messages with the thought that they will get played on speaker? What if we spoke to our teammates with the thought that our customers are overhearing us?

What are your standards?

-Kelly

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