The Five Leadership Traits My 3-Year Old Has Taught Me

" To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter. "  -Unknown

1. Focus On 1 Task 

Once Sophia, starts watching her daily episode of Doc Mc Stuffins, on Disney Junior-for 22 minutes-nothing else exist. In her mind, she could not focus on her show if she were doing something else.

2. Speak Your Truth

I remember when Crystal cooked dinner and asked Sophia if she liked it. Sophia’s response was, “No mommy, I do not like it.” If you ask her a question, she gives you an honest answer. It is as simple as that. 

3. Be Decisive  

After picking Sophia up from school, she said she wanted to go to Pizza Street, a buffet restaurant of different types of pizza. I suggested Chevys or Chic-fil-A. She sharply replied, “No, daddy! I want to go to Pizza Street.” I suggested the alternative restaurants 4-5 more times. The same response was replied back to me. We went to Pizza Street.

4. Ask Questions

“Daddy, what shape is this?” “Daddy, can I have some candy?” Daddy, are we going to school today?” “Daddy, can we play?” She does not assume anything and understands if she wants to know something, she must seek out the knowledge.

5. Use Your Imagination

I cannot tell you how many times I have turned our house into a super hero battleground between Spiderman (Sophia) and the Big Lizard (me). Spiderman always wins. She is always playful at heart with a smile on her face. 

Learning is around all of us. Sometimes, the teacher is an unlikely source. These five leadership traits stay with me during every walkthrough, parent phone call, and student interaction. What are you learning from an unlikely source?

-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.