No, not that word! 

I have another “F” word that might change your life.  It has mine.  I learned it from a 9-year old girl several years ago.

I was facilitating a team building session for an elementary school in Philadelphia, PA.  There were 300 kids, teachers, parents, and administrative folks packed into a gymnasium.  I lead them through several interactive, team building activities touching on trust, leadership, self-esteem, and success.

After a particularly challenging activity, one of the participants brought up the subject of failure.  People joined in immediately.  Everybody started talking about their failures. The topic spread like wildfire.

Suddenly, this 9-year old girl raised her hand and said, “Mister, I am not allowed to use or say the word, “failure!”  The crowd hushed.  The silence was scary.
Everyone looked at me and I had nothing to say.

Then she proceeded to say, “I am supposed to use another “F” word instead.”
My face turned red.  There was not a sound in the gym.  No one knew what was coming.  I could see the parents and teachers squirming in their seats.  She quickly added, “My mom says I am supposed to use the word, “feedback,” instead of “failure.”

WOW!  We all learned something that day.  Especially me. 

Not a day goes by in my Team Building Seminars where I don’t use that little girl’s F word of Feedback!

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      Larry Lipman
      www.FunTeamBuilding.com