By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to help you make lemonade out of the lemons in your life. Reading time: 2:31.

Laura, my then 7-year-old daughter, and I were walking to church one day after parking the car.
Laura looked up somewhat discouraged. “Dad, I really don’t want to go to church today,” Laura whined. “Can we skip today?”

I looked at her with the smile of a kid relishing the opportunity to get out of something. Laura smiled too. I said, “Sure, Laura, Let’s skip.” Laura was so excited. So thrilled. “Really,” she questioned? “Really,” I said.

And then we started skipping together. To church.

By the time we reached the church steps, Laura and I were laughing so much that she forgot all about not wanting to be in church that morning. What happened? Call it a Reality Check. That’s what all effective leaders do.

The most effective leaders I know give others a reality check of another kind. Not verifying the reality that is. Varying it. With humor. With Insight. With whatever it takes.

In fact, leaders conduct a Reality Check in much the same way a hockey player checks or blocks the progress of an opposing player. With conviction.

After all, with a well-placed check, the hockey player can turn harm into a harmony. So can a well placed leader turn agony into ecstasy. Continue reading →