Hot Leadership Tip #7

You still have quite a ways to go before you receive all of my
messages. Stay tuned for some of your best training yet.


You are now up to HOT Leadership Tip #7, which happens to be one of
my personal favorites.




I'm going to take you back to one specific day about nine months
ago.

I had just signed a 3 Year Contract to study, practice and live the
art of Tae Kwon Do with a 6th Degree Black Belt & Master Teacher;
Master Do Young Kwon.

I thought knew what I was in for, however, I didn't realize how
deep I was in it!

On my first day of class, I was taught some of the simple basic
hand techniques and kicks. Not too bad I thought. I can get good at
this.

And then, something interesting happened.

When Master Kwon commanded the class to line up, side by side,in
belt order, I found myself at the very end, in the back of the Do
Jang. (This is what a Korean Tae Kwon Do Studio is called.)

Yes, I was a white belt, on my first day of class. The lowest man
on the totem pole.

White represented the fact that I was fresh, pure, innocent and
completely brand new to the art and discipline.

The other belts of yellow, orange, purple, green, blue, brown, high
brown, red, red stripe, double red stripe, black and many degrees
of black, all stood at attention to our Master Teacher, motionless,
eyes focused, mind focused and body focused, waiting for Master
Kwon's next command.

I was nervous, not sure what was going to happen, or come next.

Here I was, on my first day of class, sweating it out, unsure of
what was about to happen. I was in the "un"knowing and very anxious.

I could feel my body tense up and all I could think about was my
fear, as we stood there, eyes front, staring into a giant mirror on
the front wall.

Not one single person moved their head, their eyes or their body.

You could hear a pin drop.

I was the only one looking around, checking out the whole scene,
for a full minute.

It seemed like eternity.

waiting...

waiting...

waiting...

Then came Master Kwon's command in a soft voice.

"Jumping Jacks #1, 10 times."

Jumping Jacks? Are you kidding me, I thought to myself.

Here I am enrolled in the Martial Arts, standing next to kids that
are 5, 7 and 10 years old, who were already 5 belts ahead of me and
we are going to do Jumping Jacks?

I was embarrassed to say the least, almost insulted that this was
part of my training.

All the parents and other students getting ready for the next class
to begin, were watching silently.

Here I just dedicated three full years of my life, paid thousands
of dollars to learn Tae Kwon Do, and Jumping Jacks is the next
command?

I wanted to walk off the mat and go home. For that brief moment, I
was burning up inside.

Well, to my surprise, these Jumping Jacks were not your "typical"
Jumping Jacks that you and I learned in grade school.

They are Korean Jumping Jacks, much different than regular Jumping
Jacks.

So, let me tell you, when the class began to perform, like a well
oiled machine, all in unison, all together, perfectly in synch, I
was the only one who looked like a babbling idiot.

Imagine a rag doll just floundering around, mixed up and confused
and completely out of sync.

The cadence and rhythm of the class' performance was stellar.

My performance was quite the spectacle.







It was at this time that I realized HOT Leadership Tip #7.






And it is this..."The best leaders are the best followers".

You see, I thought I was "too cool for school", and the words, "I
already know this" took me from a place of "self" to a place called
"ego".

I realized that day, that there should never be a moment as a
leader, when we could not be humble and willing to learn from those
who have come before us, who have already mastered the skills that
we have not and who know far more about a subject than we do.

There should never be a day when you aren't willing to repeat what
you've already learned, heard and practiced, knowing that
repetition is the mother of all skill and that these simple little
skills will become those that will take you to the top.

That day, I realized that no matter how much I thought I knew about
life, I didn't know anything about Korean Jumping Jacks.

And if I didn't know about Korean Jumping Jacks, then there had to
be plenty more I didn't know about EVERYTHING!

In other words, as a leader, you can always learn something new,
from everyone.

Here I was a 3 year old mommas,
learning Korean Jumping Jacks from a seven year old little girl.

Certainly one of my greatest lessons in life and about leadership.
Although I am 23 years her senior, success knows no age, race,
religion, s.ex or skin color.

Many times, the student can teach the teacher, regardless of the
subject.

Never, ever, be too cool for school.

Remember, the more you listen, the more you learn.

And the more you learn, the more you will earn.

It's a direct relationship.

Stay humble and stay green.

For when you are green, you are growing.

When you are "ripe", you start rotting.

And there you have HOT Leadership Tip #7, "The best leaders are
also the best followers."

Become a great follower, and then become a great leader7.


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