Flowers & Leadership

My neighbor’s son, Will, graduated from eighth grade last week. Our family adores Will. We went to the ceremony.

This is not the point of the post but I have to tell you - the ceremony was shockingly good. I expected to be bored out of my mind. Instead, I laughed, cried and left with a renewed optimism about the kindness and maturity of our thirteen year-olds. I also learned that mullets are back.

Anyway. The commencement speech was given by a parent who also happened to be an alum of the school. Halfway through her speech, she had coordinated with the kids to leave the stage and give their parents roses.

This was a wonderful moment for the parents. Smiles and hugs. Pride and joy.

But it wasn’t the best part. No, that belonged to JP, who is Will’s best friend. After giving a rose to each of his parents, he picked up an extra one. Then he walked over to Will’s mom and gave her one too.

It wasn’t a grand gesture. It took him thirty seconds. But Victoria cried so much that she had to wear her sunglasses for the rest of the ceremony.

In that moment, I realized that, as an eighth grader, JP has already learned one of the most important lessons of leadership. If someone matters to you, make sure they know it. And there is no better way to let them know they matter than with some sincere and unexpected gratitude.

Don’t wait for a scheduled review. Call them now. Tell them that they are amazing. Tell them you see them and that you value them. If you think they already know and you don’t need to tell them, you’re wrong.

If someone is a star, let them know. Your words will have a bigger impact and longer half life than you ever thought possible.

Give your stars their flowers.