Leading wisely
What a glorious time of year! I love spring. Everything seems to look and feel better. Everyone and everything is climbing out of the burden of winter, and everywhere you look there are beautiful rich colors and signs of growth.
We are fortunate here at the Home Office to be close to a lake that is well populated with water birds. Occasionally I’ll watch a mother duck lead her long train of ducklings along. She then leads them into the water and watches over them as they are buffeted by the waves and the wind. After some time she rounds them up and heads out of the water. Along the route home there is a barrier that is created by a curb. The mother easily hops up and stands at the top, waiting for each one of the ducklings to overcome the obstacle. She patiently waits as each tries and fails, falling down and getting back up. Interestingly she never climbs down to take the burden away from them. She encourages and shows them the way but never pulls too far ahead. As I watch this play out on a regular basis, my first instinct is to run down and pick up the ducklings and help them over the obstacle, but that is not the way to build strength and independence in the ducklings. This will help them for a moment, but will not teach them the skills they need to survive and achieve. Think about the ducklings as you work with your downlines. There are many valuable lessons that we can learn from the wise old mother duck!
Leadership is a powerful and limitless attribute that can help others achieve more than they believe is possible. I believe that everyone, regardless of personality or experience, has the gift of leadership. Not all of us demonstrate it in the same fashion. There are some who lead from the front; they stand up tall and generate excitement and passion. They are charismatic and people want to be around them. There are others who lead quietly by example, generating a consistent increase in self-worth and individual capacity. The style is not what is important. The ultimate goal is to inspire others to achieve.
I came across an example of unusual leadership recently in an email that was sent to a father I know. The message came from a math teacher who has a reputation for being tough and demanding. She is a true professional and, like the mother duck, she is not willing to take the burden of learning away from the children. As with all great people that are trying to do what’s right, there was opposition. A couple of the louder students were giving her a tough time and it was weighing on her. Noticing this, a young 12-year-old acted. Her note to the 12-year-old’s parents said:
“Earlier today I was somewhat frustrated by some negative behavior from another student. Soon after, your son came to me with a note that said, ‘Mrs. Brown Rocks!’ That made me smile! It's those little moments from caring students that make a big difference.”
Standing on stage in Vienna at the World Rally in April, I was surrounded by thousands of incredible people who are doing all they can to build a legacy of success. We had the privilege of awarding over $9 million in Profit Sharing checks. I believe this to be the most generous program in our industry, awarded to the very best in our industry. What a celebration!
As I enjoyed meeting with the most successful people in the Forever world in Vienna, I was again reminded that the basic, fundamental principles of goodness are what make people successful in Forever. We all need to be a little more like that mother duck. Love our people, lead them and get in the water with them. But do not take the burden of learning and growth away from them.
Forever Yours