This morning I want to share with you a quote from Florida state senator Marco Rubio, “We live in a society obsessed with public opinion. But leadership has never been about popularity.”

When you look at basic politics, what do you think of leaders who tend to change their opinions with the wind? They’re labeled “wishy-washy” right? The public votes for leaders who stand strong in their beliefs and aren’t afraid of people who disagree with them.

Cynthia McFadden from ABC, alongside a child psychologist asked a group of 1st graders, “What’s more important – to be liked or to be a leader?” The resounding majority said it was more important to be liked!

Our world is seriously lacking in good leadership and when you look at studies like the one from ABC, you can see why. If children care more about being liked than anything else, not only are they not picking up valuable leadership skills, they are being trained to be cowards. They are trained to be sheep.

Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook has started a campaign to ban the word “bossy.” She refers to it as “the other B-word” because she believes it is used as a negative put-down that tells kids, especially girls, not to pursue leadership roles.

Have you ever been called bossy for stating your opinion or suggesting a better way to do things? It seems like a big campaign over a tiny word, but let’s be honest. Word’s are powerful – they can either limit you or position you for success.

Life and death can be found in the power of the tongue! “Bossy” might not have had a big effect on your life and it might not matter for your kid’s personally. However, they are still subject to a society that values being liked over being a leader. They may be subjected to other words that are just as bad, if not doing more to harm their future success.

Having leadership qualities gives you the power of influence. Influence can be used in the classroom, in friendship circles, businesses and with family members. It’s quite likely your kids won’t pick up on what makes a great leader from their teachers or from the media.

That responsibility is yours to teach! Maybe you don’t think you are a leader, but leadership skills are not exclusive to a title. Your influence on your kids will have a major impact on their life now and into adulthood. (Tweet that quote to your friends now)

Are you going to squander that influence? Or are you going to use it to set your kids up for success? Start showing and teaching them those leadership skills now.

What words do you think kill a kid’s potential? And what leadership skills are you going to pass along to your child? Leave me your comments on the message today and don’t forget to Like and Share it with your circle of influence. We’ll be talking more later today on The Dani Johnson Show at 12 pm ET/ 11 am CT. Write yourself a reminder to join us!

In great faith,

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