Finish The Task: Lessons Learned From Our Children

"Okay, Rachie, let's get out of here, the Broncos have this game in the bag," I suggested to my seven-year-old daughter. "We need to get home and get to bed."

It was opening night of the 2004 NFL season and the Broncos were beating the Chiefs 34-24 and running out the clock.

"No Daddy," the princess ballerina countered, "we can't leave, the cheerleaders aren't done yet."

Ooops…

This determined young girl was sitting in the stands, after her halftime performance as a member of the Junior Denver Broncos Cheerleading squad, a 350-member strong congregation of dance enthusiasts ranging in ages from six to 15. They wiggle and shake four times a season with the "real" Bronco cheerleaders.

Dressed in full battle regalia, this second grader was not leaving till the game was done, till her job was finished. She was cheering from the stands, mimicking (somewhat) the moves of her idols, who are considered one of the NFL's best dance teams.

It's funny the lessons we learn from our children. After I got over the frustration of not being able "to beat the crowd" toward the exits, I realized my daughter had reminded me of a fundamental value critical to life success:

You finish what you start.

The young lasse wasn't going anywhere till the game was over. The adult cheerleaders don't walk off early just because the game is hopelessly won or lost, they toil till the final gun sounds. I am so grateful Rachel was following their lead, and not mine.

Finish the job, and finish it well and if your role in the success of the endeavor is now secondary, look around for someone to help.

Watching my daughter as the clock ticked off the final seconds to the Broncos' convincing win took me back to my high school days, to basketball. To the times when the Ray-South Cardinals were well ahead late in the game and the starters were relaxing on the bench.

We knew it was our responsibility to stay engaged in the game, to cheer on teammates who work so hard in practice, to make us better to beat the competition. These late-minute moments were their reward for all the effort that usually, went unnoticed.

Validate the efforts of your co-workers by staying engaged when it's their time to shine, it's an effective tool in creating winning partnerships.

"Okay Daddy, we can go home now," a determined young girl announced.

"Thank you," I whispered to myself about thirty minutes later, as I peeked into the rearview mirror at the "greatest girl in the whole wide world" now asleep in the car's back seat during our short drive home.

My sweetie, am I so thankful you reminded Daddy of something real important:

Finish what you start, and stay engaged till it's over. It will help you prosper at home, at work and in your community.

It's not always easy, but productive people learn to "finish the task" even when the task gets to the point of being almost unbearable, of being something you dread.

The payoff may mean nothing in terms of financial compensation, prestige or commendation, but it will richly reward your reputation as someone dependable until the task is complete.

A value, that's priceless.