I copied this tweet this week:

“What if all leaders started with, I’m proud of you. I trust you. I care about you. And I love you…? Game changer.”

My Facebook page was covered with pictures of kids hitting the first day of school. You hope your kids will encounter a teacher that makes a difference.

A teacher that makes a difference is like the leader mentioned above.

They start off being proud. Good teachers expect that both the student and the teacher herself will be better for the interaction. A good teacher knows she is about to change lives. Therefore, she is proud of her “work” – the students who will flourish in her classroom.

They have trust in the students. They know that students will respond to high expectations. They know respect will win out. They have confidence that in their vast toolbox exists the keys to the child’s mind. They trust the process. Therefore, they can trust the child.

Pride and trust create a blanket of hope that causes a student to feel cared for. They may not be able to name it exactly, especially if they’re young. All they know is that the classroom of a proud, trusting teacher feels safe. Over time, they trust the admonition to try again because the person who asks them means them well. They will open new books. They will try new equations. They will conduct new experiments. All because of the comfort of care.

A student who has been taught, respected, and encouraged to be the best they can be has been loved. From the best teachers, love comes freely. There is an untapped flow.

The student who is well-loved walks with shoulders squared, confident to face the challenges sure to come. A student who is confident in a teacher’s unconditional love has a way of happening to the world.

Some of you may be reading this and thinking: “I never had a teacher like that.” That may well be true. But wouldn’t things be different if you had?

As leaders, we can make the same difference that teachers can.

What if all leaders started with, I’m proud of you. I trust you. I care about you. And I love you…?

Game changer.