Today We Celebrate The Best Leaders In The World - Mom!

"From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow" Aeschylus

 

Photo via Ramsay2 via Compfight.com

Spring continues to unfurl and splash bright green everywhere with touches of pink, white, red, and purple. Spring is the time when Mother Nature gets to be the center of attention every day for weeks as she celebrates her own magical Mother's Day over and over. The sweet smell of mowed grass, flowering trees, and fragrant spring flowers wafts through the air. I love hearing the songs of the frogs as they awaken and look to be mothers themselves! It really is magical and makes suffering through winter well worth the wait.

Every gardener, male or female, is really a "mother" every day in the garden. We plant little seeds sometimes needing to soak or nick them with a file to help them sprout. We give them the best soil and warmth in which to begin their growth. When they burst through the soil we care for them gently - some of us even talking non-stop to them in their gentle state. We gently water them as not to drown them and provide the seedlings food as they strengthen. When our babies are strong enough to venture outside we slowly expose them to the bright sun so that they don't burn. After a few days we let them bask in the rays while we give them all the water that they need.

Once our "babies" are ready we look to put them in just the right place. We find a spot chosen just for them with all their growing needs in mind. After placing them in their new home we continue to nurture them until they can stand alone in the garden and do what they were prepared for - growing up and flourishing into a beautiful beaming center of our garden. Isn't that what our own mothers did with us as we all grew up?

 A hearty thank you to all the "Mothers" who have grown us from a tiny seed and nurtured our growth to be leaders ourselves.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Downing via Compfight

Today is a very special day to so many women - Mother's Day! This day is more than just a Hallmark holiday (and a money maker to greenhouses around the world!). Mother's Day is also a tribute to women who don't have any biological children. These women should be honored as well. So many of them have helped grow and influence other girls and women. They have had an instrumental role in leading other females to realize their purpose and have helped nurture them along in life. For ALL the women out there - Thank you and have a wonderful Mother's Day!

We can all think of a special "Mom" who has had an impact in our lives. Women have an immense magic on the lives of those that they interact with every day. Moreover, women really are some of the strongest role models out there. Moms do so much "behind the scenes" work that most of us don't even think about on a regular basis. Moms are silent leaders - and the best one's at that! Moms do so much throughout our lives as they nurture our growth and prepare to let us go out into the world. Guess what? The growth that they provide really does lead us without us really "seeing" Mom as a leader. This is what the best leaders do in the background.

Why "Mom's" are the best leaders around

 

• They gently teach us manners and how we should always be thankful
• They teach us not to hit or throw things and to control our tempers
• Moms are strong and repeatedly show us their strength and perseverance in tough times
• They are decisive when they need to be in making a hard call
• Moms support us unconditionally
• They  believe in us and our ability to succeed
• They know how to balance family and work without complaint
• Moms are fantastic program managers - who else could plan and execute all those extracurricular events?
• They give us positive praise without giving us "big" heads
• Moms let us make mistakes and learn from them
• They remind us that they have the last say and to respect their decisions 
• Moms are the ultimate planners and multitasking queens
• Moms have sound listening and communication skills - perhaps too much for some people!
• They have a strong work ethic and expect us to as well
• They quickly handle conflict and encourage collaboration while working through strife
• Mom knows how to protect us from ourselves
• They know how to form strong teams and manage them (birthday party games, chores) 
• They are pros at creating reward systems to encourage behaviors and increase productivity
• They always try to encourage a positive atmosphere where we respect each other
• Moms are tolerant and open to new ideas
• Mom is always up for a challenge that no one warned her about!
• They are our biggest fans and fiercest protectors
• They know how to play politics from being with other parents
• Moms really are THE BEST  naturally born leaders!

 

If you have any doubts at this point that Moms are the strongest most natural leaders around sit back and really think about what a "Mom" did for you as you grew up and how she continues to help you  develop as a person today. How did she nurture you and prepare you for the real world?

 

Guess what? Next time that you are trying to be a better leader or find a new one for your team, think of Mom and all the qualities that she has. You will know what to look for and how effective he/she will be!

 

Happy "Mother's Day" to all those women who have made a differences in the lives of others and continue to do so today. Moms = Leaders!