Friday is my day off, so after my run, I took off for a couple errands and experienced the contrast again. I went to a store called Teavana. Hey, guys drink tea! I walked in and another customer immediately smiled and said “Hi!” and asked me what kind of teas I like. We had a blast just having fun making small talk and laughing about “guys who drink tea.” She was there buying some really good green and herbal teas for her boyfriend who loves tea but won’t admit it in public! I left Teavana feeling like I’d met a new friend.
At the door of Teavana, they have sample teas. I turned back to get a quick taste of a new one. I reached for the little paper cup and the person standing next to me glared at me, clearly communicating, “Back off, I was here first!” I just left without the tea.
On my way home I was thinking about the people I met that day. I had this simple thought: I’m drawn toward happy people! It was a heart-level, spontaneous and emotion-based response to the people I encountered that day. It also reminded me that people respond to leaders in the same way. Simple. Feeling-Based. Spontaneous. They like you or they don’t, and it’s based largely on whether or not you are perceived as a happy, positive, upbeat person. So how would you assess yourself? How do you think others see you? It makes a big difference on whether or not they will follow your leadership.
