IF YOU GIVE SOMEONE A JOB: WHAT MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK TAUGHT ME ABOUT LEADERSHIP

I knew a frog and a toad couldn’t talk to me about life (because, as we all know, frogs and toads cannot talk.)

But, at the same time, some books could be so captivating that they became a staple in our bedtime routine. Whenever my dad traveled, we would recite the lines from one of our favorites.

We practiced for weeks while he was home. Every night when he was away, he would call to say goodnight and wait anxiously to see if I was ready. Then, finally, one night, I started.

“I’ll love you forever,” I said.

“I’ll like you for always,” he replied

I said, “As long as I’m living.”

He said, “My baby you’ll be.”

Then, we’d do the whole thing in reverse. But I’d end with, “My daddy you’ll be.”

To this day, this story still sticks with me. And if I called my dad and said, “I’ll love you forever,” I have no doubt he’d respond with, “I’ll like you for always.” Twenty-five years later, we’d pick right back up—like no time had passed at all.

That’s because books from our childhood have such a huge impact on the rest of our lives.

These stories shape and mold us into the people we become. In many cases, we take on the traits that we learn from reading (although, hopefully not the bad ones).

The book that always stuck out to me the most was Laura Numeroff’s, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

You’ve probably read it before, but this story is cute. In the book, the mouse is given a cookie and then asks for a glass of milk. After getting the milk to go with the cookie, it asks for a straw, a mirror, scissors, and a broom.

Each request prompts another, until it comes full circle with the mouse getting another cookie and asking for another glass of milk.

Perhaps this was an odd book for me to gravitate toward. (Heck—I’m an odd bird.)

I think most people just view it as a story about an annoying and needy mouse. You give the mouse something nice and it just asks for more.

But, it always struck me as something bigger. The lesson always seemed to be about action and reaction—about our responsibility to other people.”