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My son, the business teacher!
My son is currently eight months old, he is growing very quickly and he is very healthy little man. But I was sitting here tonight and I thought “Boy, I sure have learned a lot from him!” So, I decided to write down the four business qualities and lessons that he has reinforced in me over the past few months. They are very important lessons and his impression of these qualities are priceless to me.
Sharing them with you is very important to me. And yes that is a picture of my son up top, his name is Caden Andrew Nowak! I hope you enjoy; creating this article meant a lot to me!
1. Forget the bad things!
Have you ever noticed when babies hurt themselves, or get disciplined they are sad for a very short while? But not 2 minutes later they are happy and playing again. They have an uncanny knack for forgetting the bad thing that just happened and moving on to good things.
Us grownups seem to take failure very hard, dwelling on it for days and sometimes longer. Why don’t we just take it as a lesson learned, use the experience as a positive and move on or try and do it better next time?
2. Determination
My son is very determined when he wants something, he will spend hours sometime devising a plan to get where he wants (usually where he shouldn’t!) with a single focus. It rarely matters how long it takes or what’s in his way he will keep going.
Why do we quit when the going gets tough, or stop trying when it gets hard? Hardly anything is worth working for if it isn’t hard to achieve! So when the going gets tough, just think of what a baby would do, and get going!
3. Creativity
There is no imposed limits to babies, they haven’t had societies limits imposed on them yet. They believe and think anything is possible. They live day in and day out creating things and imagining the impossible. Look at home many things people have said were impossible, flight for example.
Maybe a little more creativity could help you in your professional life, I know it could help me in mine. Take those limits off your brain and set it loose for awhile, I think you will be amazed at what you come up with!
4. Loyalty
Babies are loyal to their parents while they are young, they completely believe in their parents as their sole provider and teacher. They look at their parents as hero’s and wouldn’t give them up for anything. They stick by their parents.
Being loyal to your customers, business associates, partners and family is a quality that seems to be disappearing today. Yet I believe it is one of the best traits you can have. I would not work with anyone that wasn’t loyal.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:25 am
It’s amazing where we can find inspiration sometimes!
It’s true though, babies look at the world through a completely different set of eyes than we do, and it’s not always a bad thing to approach tasks with a different perspective. They are driven by a curiosity and desire for knowledge, something that we sometimes forget.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
You forgot one — manipulative cuteness. It’s their secret weapon.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
@ Pete Kennedy - Haha, agreed.
I will probably revist this topic as he lears and grows so I will have to add that one in!
March 4th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Although, they do lose their cuteness once the terrible two’s come along… haha.
March 7th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Very true in deed!
I can think of one more point from my experience:
Asking for help: Babies don’t mind turning towards their parents when the going gets tough. And they do it so sweetly, you love doing the job for them.
We could try that with our managers too!
March 8th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Yea, my daughter is a bit different, Neha. She can’t stand asking for help or even surrendering to it until she’s exhausted every possible option for success.
Little miss independent…she’s her daddy’s girl for sure. :)
March 10th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I’m reminded of that Simpsons episode in which little Maggie escapes from the Ayn Rand Daycare Institute to the music of The Great Escape.
Though I have none of my own, truly inspiring those little ones.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Never have liked them too much….they cry a lot and soil themselves. Reminds me of my ex girlfriend.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
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March 13th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Wonderful correlation between business and parenthood! I love your son’s name, it definitely rocks…
March 13th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
You are right - kids teach us so much! I have learned so much from my son (he just turned 25). My mentor, James Brausch, has two young boys too. I think that’s why he is so open to new ideas and so creative. I think my son taught me more than anyone.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Well this is cute. And it makes a lot of sense too. I guess you really can learn a lot from kids.
Another thing we can probably learn from kids is “to wonder.” Children have a sense of wonder which makes everyday seem new and exciting. As grown-ups, a sense of wonder can well… do wonders for our own lives.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
@ Terra Andersen - i don’t remember where I got the inspiration for his name, but I get a lot of compliments on it. Thank you for your kind words!
April 10th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Cute! This is just another proof that baby is a great inspiration for adults! =)