This lesson was taught to me by my oldest grandson a few years ago. One Easter Sunday, my daughter planned an Easter egg hunt for my grandson. She placed tiny miniature marshmallows into a dozen or so brightly colored plastic Easter eggs and placed them in the yard in plain sight and in a row. She then pointed them out to my grandson, who immediately went to the nearest one and opened it. He was excited to see the miniature marshmallows inside and promptly ate them. He then went to the next nearest egg and opened it, thrilled to find more marshmallows. All the time this was going on my daughter was recording him on her iPhone. She was planning to share the video with friends and family on Facebook.

Everything was going great until this cabbage moth showed up. This tiny white moth flew in front of my grandson, distracted him, and led him off in another direction. Obviously this frustrated my daughter, who was busy filming. She became noticeably agitated with the boy. I suggested she be patient and wait a few minutes. My grandson, who was easily distracted, knew where the next colored egg was and I assured my daughter that he would be back. In a minute or so the cabbage moth flew away and the boy came back to almost the exact spot he left to pick up and open the remaining colored eggs, eating the treats inside.

If you have a tendency to be afflicted with the “Cabbage Moth Syndrome,” know how it affects others on your team, especially if you are the boss. If you are around someone who is often afflicted, know that they will usually reengage after the distraction has dissipated. We can control our own behavior; we can only hope to influence the behavior of others. As a leader in your organization, do you understand how your actions affect others on your team?