The Wedding Toast: Lessons in Leadership from Love
By Dr. Michael J. Zappa
Recently, I had the opportunity to share the joy and intense emotions of giving away my daughter in marriage. At this extraordinary event, I had the fatherly privilege of making the welcome toast. Reflecting on these thoughts in the days that have passed, I realize that these principles and practices that guide us toward happy and healthier relationships are key traits that great leaders exhibit. Please indulge me in the following excerpt from that toast I gave at the wedding of my daughter Francesca to her husband Matthew.
One of the privileges of being the Dad of a little girl is that she sits on your lap and you have little talks from time to time. One I remember in particular is when her mother was out shopping, because that’s what she did when Daddy and daughter spent time together, Francesca looks me in the eyes and says: “Daddy when I grow up I want to marry you” ….. I had to politely explain to her that Mommy wouldn’t like that too much! She then went on to say: “How will I ever find the right person to marry?” I said: “Honey, when you fall in love and if that person treats you as well as I do, then he’s the one.” Matthew you’ve passed that test.
So I can’t leave without a little advice for Francesca and Matthew…..You are starting your life together, what’s the most important thing? The most important thing is LOVE….that’s a great word but there are a lot of things that go into it. For my colleagues in medicine, you know we have to make acronyms out of everything to help us remember….
L means Listen, you will gain your wisdom in life by listening, not by speaking
O should remind you to be Open to new experiences
V is your Vision for the future and your vision of the big picture; don’t get aggravated and hung up on the little things, keep the big vision in mind
E stands for Enjoy; you will have great goals, and you have all these people here to support you, but don’t forget to enjoy yourselves along that journey
Try a little LOVE in your leadership: Listen more than you speak, be Open to new experiences, don’t sweat the small stuff and keep the big Vision in mind, and be sure to Enjoy the journey!
Cheers!