Walking towards me I could feel his despair.
For the past 60 minutes, the driving teacher pointed out his failings.
He said he was drenched from head to toe in stress sweat, after his second hour of official hands-on driving.
"Why didn't you practice in between lessons?" was the teacher's request.
His first driving lesson was the day before.
Fast forward two months.
Many pep talks, hours building confidence, some practice (but not much), it's time for a two-hour lesson.
He warned me, "I will be in a terrible mood after the 2-hour lesson - just so you are prepared!"
After the lesson, walking towards me I can sense encouragement.
He says, "You want me to drive home?"
Wow.
The story is simple.
The boy is the same.
The skills and knowledge are the same.
The car and roads are the same.
The difference: the teacher.
This teacher encouraged, got to know him, pointed out what he did right and asked questions.
Anyone can teach driving, but not anyone can inspire performance.
We need more of these teachers.
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Sonia Di Maulo, M.A., C.R.P., founder of Harvest Performance, applies 20 years of experience to cultivate trust, inspire connection, and harvest results.
By 2020, she will help 100 women and men discover, create, embrace, and breathe life into their living legacies
As a Global Leadership Innovator, she uses positive communication and positive education principles from her award-winning Ken Blanchard endorsed book, The Apple in the Orchard to impact people, places and communities.
She is a proud mom of two teenage sons, and enjoys travel and dark chocolate.
Connect with her, www.soniadimaulo.com.
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