How do you start your day on the right note? You have a choice. How do you handle a difficult situation? What can you do every day to learn from other leaders?

Imagine you are driving a new car on a cold winter day. Life is great…until a rusty Suburban crashes into your butt. This event happened to me, and once I realized that neither I nor the other driver was hurt, I was faced with a choice; Do I lose my temper and yell at the young woman who decided to hit me from behind her, or do I stop and treat her like a human being?

The young woman apologized and mentioned that she had been sick and was on her way to take a make-up exam at the local college. I noticed that her coat was unbuttoned and I suggested that she button it up because she was quite cold. I wasn’t happy, but I thought I’d respond in a positive way!

The way your character is revealed is not when things are going well; but when the unexpected or unpleasant happens.

The choice is yours! So how will you handle a difficult situation?

Take a deep breath and calmly respond to the situation.

Start with a positive and happy attitude:

My mother-in-law, Pearl Neustein Berger, always had a happy and positive attitude no matter what difficult problems she faced. She was the sixth child of eight children born to Regina and Herman Neustein who came to the United States from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Lemberg.

When her husband died of cancer, she was 41 years old with two children to support, ages 5 and 13. She had no education and no job. She decided to take matters into her own hands and found a job in a New York department store, where she stayed for several years.

He worked hard to provide for his children, instilling in them strong moral values. She taught them to study, work hard and help others. She understood the importance of attending religious services every week to help strengthen her character.

She worked hard to make sure her two sons could go to college and graduate school. Shortly after my husband Allan and I got married, my husband had to enroll for his next semester of graduate study. He was taking night classes since he had a full-time job during the day. He couldn’t get off work to register for classes. I was also working that day.

His mom, Pearl Berger, had the day off from work and said she would enroll him in school. She always had a happy and positive attitude, and she was one of the most caring and honorable people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was five feet one inch tall and to me she was one of the tallest and strongest women I have ever met. Her caring attitude and her commitment to her family, friends and others made her unforgettable.

What is the best way for you to start your day? Start with a positive attitude and wear a smile!

How you respond and how willing you are to share the credit for accomplishments has a huge impact on the people you lead.

Former Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant once said that the way to get people to play their hearts out on the football field was to take the blame when things go wrong and give… it’s all it takes for people to win football. games…but to the outside world, Bear Bryant always took the heat.

“If something goes wrong, I did it. If something goes halfway, we did it. If something goes great, you did it. That’s all it takes for people to win football games.” – Coach Bear Bryant

Is this how the great leaders in your life behave? Is this an attitude you could adopt? It could unlock huge potential!

What are 3 ways to improve your leadership skills?

1. Start your day on the right note with a positive happy attitude and a smile.

2. When you have a difficult situation, take a deep breath and calmly respond to the situation. As coach Bear Bryant said, “Be willing to take the heat when things go wrong. When things go well, share the credit. When an individual or team does well, give them credit.”

3. Leaders read every day for 10-15 minutes learning from other leaders to help them solve their problems. Leaders are readers and learners who are constantly evolving, changing, and responding to problems and situations.