A Valuable Lesson from My Daughter on Kindness

A note to young leaders.
A lesson from my daughter.

Last week, I was driving my daughter (Eva) to school when we received a call from her maternal grandfather (Dido).

Dido excitedly wished Eva a happy tenth birthday and was effusive in his affections. Eva lapped it all up and we both thanked him profusely.
As the call drew to a close, I thought to remind Dido that Eva’s birthday was the following day, not the day he was calling. “Actually, Dido … ”, I began to say, when Eva quickly interrupted me and changed the topic.
When the call ended, Eva said kindly: “Dido was so happy, it would have been wrong to ruin his happiness by telling him he got the date wrong.”

Wow. My daughter was reminding me that – other than on issues of great importance – it’s far better to raise the energy and let the details slide, than to correct the record and interrupt the flow.

It’s what Maya Angelou said: people will remember how you make them feel far more than what you say or do.
And if my daughter has learned this lesson already – one day shy of her tenth birthday – oh, what dreams may come!