The Spotlight is Always On You

My wife and two daughters went to Peru for a month last summer. While abroad, my children had the opportunity to live with their great grandmother in the house my wife grew up in. Among other great experiences including attending the elementary school my wife attended for a couple of weeks, they came back knowing more Spanish than when they left. 

One reason behind this was because the television stations were all in Spanish. In particular, there was a kids channel called “Discovery Kids.” This channel was the only one for children, so what was on Discovery Kids is what they watched. During our nightly Skype video calls, I kept hearing about a show they could not get enough of called, “Mister Maker”, as well as the fun they were having attending school. The teachers and students warmly welcomed my daughters and made them feel special. 

With this background of being completely immersed in Spanish, it is no wonder they each made plenty of progress in learning Spanish, although my older daughter, Sarah, learned much more. Not only did she enjoy learning the language, she also had an extra incentive: I promised to buy her a Nintendo DSi if my wife concluded she had become “fluent” during her time there.  

After a couple of days home, my daughter asked when she going to get her Nintendo DSi. I asked her what she was talking about. My wife immediately jumped in, “How could you forget, you promised her a Nintendo DSi if she could speak and understand Spanish. She is really quite good now.” 

Although I had forgotten the promise, my daughter clearly had not. Realizing the importance of the promise to her I recommitted to getting the DSi right away (which I did that night via an online purchase).

In fact, the moves I make or don’t make, and the things I say or don’t say all have an immediate and lasting impression on my daughters. What I notice or choose to notice, the events in their lives I attend or don’t attend, the way I respond in a moment of crisis or in a moment of triumph all has an impact on them. 

Sometimes after a difficult day I may want to wish it away, that my actions don’t have an impact on them, at least for a few hours, but that doesn’t make it less so. As the owner of your business, whether you like it or not, you are always on stage, the employees are watching all of the actions you make and don’t make. It’s something to think about when you walk into your office tomorrow.