Flying with Children?

How many miles high does a commercial airline typically fly?

(Yesterdays garden pictue was taken in front of The Jewel Box in Forest Park of St Louis.)

 

Remember the airline steward reviewing the flight procedures before the plane takes off?  She says "put the mask on the others before yourself!"

Contemplation of this thought begins our Friday post,  especially due to the labor day holiday coming up and what it takes to lead others around us.

As leaders, we must always take care of ourselves first.  Just like an airline steward really says put the mask on ourselves first.  As leaders we must guard our emotions, our physical well-being, and mental state, maintaining our own health before we can take care of others.  This includes personal discipline, training, and contemplation and the vision of the team.

Our emotions must be self-disciplined and not based on the behavior of our wards.  Often times, they are trying to engage us in their internal struggle.  They need us to maintain control and demonstrate a calm demeanor. This exemplifies self-control, a characteristic of maturity necessary and a by-product or result of a good education.  Our steady pacing will assure our students of a safe environment where student feel an educational risk is worth taking!

We all require exercise of our bodies as well as our emotions.  As leaders, we carry many of the burdens of the team or group.  Every problem, issue and concern feasibly travels through the leader's scope or vision.  Physiologically releasing these burdens  through exercise aids the cleansing necessary for both mental and physical health.  Hence, the justification for regular exercise.

Finally, as leaders, we often see far into the future of where the group is going.  We can recognize a speed bump in the path and act accordingly.  Our ability to articulate these upcoming obstacles with the group determines the rate of change, progress and effort necessary to navigate the path ahead.  Our ablility to discern becomes our asset to the group.  As leaders, we must connect with our audience by sharing things on their level, interesting to them and appropriate for their ability to comprehend and execute.  Unfortunatly, leaders often share things that interest few and have little or no application to their crowd.  This lack of connection prevents many groups from their fullest potential, creating a cieling or governing effect that limits or holds them back.  Therefore, the craft or skill to practice is engaging and speaking with our audience things they want and need to hear and address their goals and objectives.

Selfish?  No.  Leadership!

Oh yeah!  The steward does not say put the mask on others first.  She knows we must take care of ourselves before we can take care of others.  Traveling or flying with children?  Take care of youreslf first!