Never heard of Vernon Dokey? Me, neither. But in his MasterClass, President Clinton shared the departing lesson from his eighth grade science teacher, Mr. Dokey.
At the end of the year, he shared that when he finished shaving every day, he looked in the mirror and said, "Vernon, you're beautiful." Clinton said that Mr. Dokey was anything but handsome. Dokey told students to look in the mirror.
Everyone wants to be respected, to be significant, to have their lives have meaning.
As leaders, make others feel respected and help get the most from themselves. We hear stories of coaches who tell players they're "worthless" or only matter to them on the court. Regardless of how often those coaches win, they have lost the meaning of coaching.
Learning begins with listening. "Listen to other people's stories." Here are a few invaluable lessons MasterClass shared:
- Samuel L. Jackson reminds us to "present the best version of ourselves."
- Bob Woodward advised to "report the best obtainable version of the truth."
- Sara Blakely's father asked each week, "What did you fail at this week?" Winners learn to fail.
- "Did anything interesting happen to you at school today?" A question Clinton's uncle asked regularly. Keep our antennas up.
- Usher suggested that we "study our mentor's mentors." What makes leaders tick?
Leadership lessons surround us. Are we open to receiving them?
Lagniappe (something extra): Practice getting the shots you want.