Charlie Brown: "I am five....I'm more than five."

Linus: "Oh well, that the way it goes."

Life lessons seem to surround me lately. It's as though God, in his infinite humor posted an "Every skill I need to succeed can be found in a four year old" poster across my forehead. It has gotten so bad that even the last time I suggested to my boy he go potty, I found myself wishing that people who worked for me in the past had as much enthusiasm for their job. I have begun to notice with increasing awe those simple traits, resident in us from birth and later beaten into our subconscious, which are never to be seen or heard from again. Through these observations, I have come to the conclusion that if any four year old were to apply for a job, he would most likely beat the crap out of 90% of the applicant pool. (Assuming, of course, the job does not require a college degree.) Upon further pondering of this premise, I would go farther to say that most companies would rather hire a four year old instead of....well, anyone else.  (Unless it’s Megan Fox, who most men would hire just to sit there and be pretty.) (....wait a minute, if my four year old boy was the hiring manger, he probably wouldn't hire her for her looks....which proves my point.)

Take the job search; most unemployed wake up as though it were a day off. Sleeping until 9:30am, we wake up, eat breakfast, shave (maybe), and check the big job boards for opportunities that sort of remotely look like something we can do. We send out 100 résumés and by 11am we are done for the day. For even the best job seeker, we move slowly through the day with the weight and burden of life through the routine we think will get us to our goal. That is what most employees and candidates seem to have become. So put yourself in the role of a company manager and ask yourself what you want to see in an employee...you know how the people you work with behave. That data you already have.

Let's look at the attributes of a four year old.

A four year old has only two settings: Thinking about it (which lasts no more than 3.75 seconds at best) and doing it (which lasts until such time as it’s considered "done"). The focus of a person who has only spent a few years on this planet is always intense. Sure, nothing is done perfectly....but it is always done well enough in the eyes of a child.

A four year old has only one speed: Run. If I say "go" anywhere, he does it at a dead run. Doesn't matter where the destination is...it's always a flat out sprint to get there. The only time I see a four year old walking is when they are with a parent who is holding their hand and usually the adult is telling the child to slow down. From the moment a child is awake, which is usually earlier than any adult would prefer, he/she is in full out energy overdrive and they are thrilled to be moving so fast.

A four year old lives for the approval of their parents. At their core, they really love to know they are doing well and really feel hurt if they think they have disappointed you. Yes, they will misbehave but when put in "time out" the lesson is usually learned in under 10 minutes. (Much easier than a 90 day performance improvement plan.)

Even when they are completely exhausted, they will keep going as though driven by some inner spirit to enjoy every waking moment and they remain at full speed until they close their eyes. They sleep because they need it, not because they love it.

A four year old is not really great about picking up after themselves but then have you looked at your desk lately? (This is why companies hire cleaning services.)

A four year old understands and expects daily routines to have structure and consistency because they work. Eating times, holding hands while in dangerous situations, and pooping all have a purpose and are done the same way because they understand why. Everything else can be questioned and explored, altered and reinterpreted often to the surprise of all.

A four year old knows candor and honesty and is consciously learning how to best utilize it. They don't understand sarcasm, they don't lie really well and their motives are completely out in the open.

They know how successful persistence can be. Even when they know what they are doing is unpopular, they will push and push until someone says "TWO!" and then stop before the adult says "THREE." (hoYou were a better employee when you were four

Linus: "You really don't have anything to worry about Charlie Brown. After all science has shown that a person's character isn't really established until he's at least five years old."

Charlie Brown: "I am five....I'm more than five."

Linus: "Oh well, that the way it goes."

Life lessons seem to be surrounding me lately. It's as though God, in his infinite humor has posted a "Every skill I need to succeed can be found in a four year old" poster across my forehead. It has gotten so bad that even the last time I suggested to my boy that he go potty, I found myself wishing that people who worked for me in the past had as much enthusiasm for their job. I have begun to notice with increasing awe the simple traits that I would guess reside within us from birth and are later beaten into our subconscious never to be seen or heard from again. With these observations, I have come to the conclusion that if any four year old were to apply for a job, he would most likely beat the crap out of 90% of the applicant pool. (Assuming the job does not require a college degree) Upon further pondering of this premise I would go farther to say that most companies would rather hire a four year old instead of....well anyone else, (unless its Megan Fox who most men would hire just to be pretty ....wait a minute, if my four year old boy was the hiring manger, he probably wouldn't hire her for her looks....which proves my point)

Take the job search, most of us unemployed wake up as though it was a day off. Sleeping till 9:30am we wake up, eat breakfast, shave (maybe), and check the big job boards for opportunities that sort of remotely look like something we can do. We send out 100 resume's and by 11am we are done for the day. For even the best job seeker, we move slowly through the day with the weight and burden of life through the routine we think will get us to our goal. That is what most employees and candidates seem to have become. So put yourself in the role of a company manager and as yourself what do you want to see in an employee...you know how the people you work with behave that data you already have.

Let's look at the attributes of a four year old.

A four year old has only two settings: Thinking about it (which lasts no more than 3.75 seconds at best) and doing it (which lasts until such time as its considered "done"). The focus of a person who has only spent a few years on this planet is always intense. Sure, nothing is done perfectly....but it is always done well enough in the eyes of a child.

A four year old has only one speed: Run. If I say "go" anywhere, he does it at a dead run. Doesn't matter where the destination is...it's always a flat out sprint to get there. The only time I see a four year old walking is when they are with a parent who is holding their hand and usually the adult is telling the child to slow down. From the moment a child is awake, which is usually earlier than any adult would prefer, he/she is in full out energy overdrive and they are thrilled to be moving so fast.

A four year old lives for the approval of their parents. At their core, they really love to know they are doing well and really feel hurt if they think they have disappointed you. Yes they will misbehave, but when put in "time out" the lesson is usually learned in under 10 minutes. (much easier than a 90 day performance improvement plan)

Even when they are completely exhausted, they will keep going as though driven by some inner spirit to enjoy every waking moment and they remain at full speed until they close their eyes. They sleep because they need it, not because they love it.

A four year old is not really great about picking up after themselves but then have you looked at your desk lately? (this is why companies hire cleaning services)

A four year old understands and expects daily routines to have structure and consistency because they work. Eating times, holding hands while in dangerous situations, and pooping all have a purpose and are done the same way because they understand why. Everything else can be questioned and explored, altered and reinterpreted often to the surprise of all.

A four year old knows candor and honesty and is consciously learning how to best utilize it. They don't understand sarcasm, they don't lie really well and their motives are completely out in the open.

They know how successful persistence can be...even when they know what they are doing is unpopular they will push and push until someone says "TWO!" and then stop before the adult says "THREE". (How perfect is this during budget negotiations?!) More importantly, they know that many times this persistence will get them what they want, which may be an extra cookie or an extra story at bedtime... but it's also subversive knowledge that they can beat the system!

At their core, they desire to seek understanding, they have a willingness to push the envelope, and they understand that there is always someone who can help. They are tenacious at getting what they want and will play the system to win. When they do wrong, they know how to warm our heart to forgive them and they live every day as though it's an adventure.

Who wouldn't want to hire someone like that?!