This is my kind of TED talk: quick, funny, thought-provoking. If you've got six minutes of nothing today (I see you scrolling through Facebook over there...), take a watch!
Watching this reminded of a "lollipop moment" involving my seventh grade choir teacher.
During one parent-teacher conference that school year, she told my mom (as I sat listening) that she could see leadership in me. I'm pretty sure I remember her saying directly, "Alyssa...well, she is a leader!"
And my seventh grade self thought, "What?? Nope. I am a solid follower, and I like it that way."
But the next day, my seventh grade self started thinking, "But what if I was a leader? Am a leader? What would that be like?" And I started trying it out.
As of now, I actually do consider myself quite a leader. I don't have plans to ever become a CEO, but I seek out leadership in my work, family, and church relationships. I actively try to discover and develop leadership qualities. When nobody particularly wants to make a decision, visit the food table first, or take on an extra project, I choose to step in. And I've had people tell me that they appreciate the ways that I lead, so then I continue. Over time, leadership has become one of my things-that-I-am, and all this because of a seventh grade choir teacher and a comment that she may or may not remember making.
You may not consider yourself to be a leader, but you can still provide "lollipop moments" for others around you, and you can thank those who have provided them for you. If any come to mind for you, I'd love to hear them! And in the meantime, let's both go watch this TED talk again, yes?
(Talk discovered on the TED Radio Hour podcast. This episode ("Disruptive Leadership") is one I've listened to multiple times! Highly recommend, 10/10, 5 stars, etc.)
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