By Cheryl Mattox Berry
On a recent trip to the mall, I walked by a new play area for children. There were several toddlers playing on a giant turtle. One of the mothers saw her son push another little boy, and she immediately went over to him and told him to “play nice.”
How refreshing to hear those words. By the way some kids, teens and even adults act, I wonder if they’ve ever been admonished to play nice. If you’re nodding, that means you remember someone saying that to you as a child.
So, here’s the big question: Do you still heed that warning?
When decisions are made contrary to your wishes, do you get angry and sulk? If you run for president and lose, do you drop out of the organization or stay and criticize the winner?
You’ll never get your way 100 percent of the time. As the saying goes, you’ll win some, and you’ll lose some. The majority rules. Don’t take a vote personally. Next time, your idea may win acceptance by the group.
Not everyone will buy into your vision. That doesn’t mean you should give up if it’s not accepted on the first try. Find out what might have caused the negative vote and work to fix it. After resolving all concerns, bring up the idea again and see what happens.
In the case of an election, you can still be effective if you don’t win. A president must remain neutral, but not being an officer allows you to use the power of persuasion during discussions. You can also use your leadership skills to chair committees and promote initiatives.
Be a gracious loser. Throw your support behind the winner and work to make that person a success. Wouldn’t you want someone to do that for you?