I am not sure what planet you are living on if you haven’t heard of Kid President. Just incase you live on another planet, or you are a Walt Whitman type, here is my favorite kid president video.
Recently, I had the joy of hearing the story of Kid President from Brad Montague, the creator. I realized during his talk that I have a ton to learn from kids. Here are 5 leadership lessons from Kid President & what I desperately need to learn from kids.
1. Be Real
Kid President took the world by storm. His personality, love and candor have inspired millions. Kid President is a real human, his name is Robby, and he is 9 years old. He speaks “straight up” and one of the funniest things about him is the simplicity in which he explains complex things. I think people, especially millennials, can see right through pretense and overcomplicated explanations to problems. Be real, be authentic and start thinking like a kid again.
2. Have Fun
One unmistakable component of Kid President’s personality is that he loves fun. Life is boring without fun and who wants to be boring? Work can become monotonous, task oriented and productivity driven. What if we had fun in the mix? What if work was fun? As a leader I need to remember that fun should be an integral part of my team. Don't be boring.
3. Stay True
Since the creation of Kid President, they have been given opportunities to do things they never dreamed of, including being in a Nelly music video. Clearly, some offers were better than others. However, Brad and Robby know what they want to do. They are all about spreading love. “Love changes everything, so fill the world with it." This is their mantra and they don’t deviate from it.
4. Keep Dancing
Robby has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a brittle bone condition that has resulted in him having over 70 broken bones. You often see him in the videos wearing a cast, yet they have never mentioned this in one of their videos. They aren't trying to craft a sob story to make his name big. They not focusing on what’s wrong, but spreading what is right. When things get crazy, just keep dancing.
5. Stay Awesome
Don’t be boring. We only have one life to live, one chance to make a dent. Relax, chill out, embrace life and enjoy love. It’s all of our jobs to make the world a better place, so let’s do it together. Thanks Kid President!
