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LEADERS
ALWAYS LEAD...FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
by
Marc Fey
“The
issue is not whether you influence someone.
What needs to be settled is what kind of influencer
you will be?
Will you grow in your leadership skills?
In the book Leaders,
Bennis and Nanus say, ‘The truth is that leadership
opportunities are plentiful and within the reach of most
people.
You must believe that!” --John Maxwell
Do
or not do. There
is no ‘try.’
Yoda to Luke
Skywalker,
Empire Strikes Back
The line between good and evil passes not between
principalities and powers, but oscillates within the human
heart. And even
the most rational approach to ethics is defenseless if there
isn’t the will to do what is right.
--Unknown
I'm
not a huge Star Wars fan, but I always loved Yoda. In
the second of Steven Spielberg’s Star Wars classic, The
Empire Strikes Back, young Luke Skywalker searches for a
master teacher of the Jedi Knights named Yoda.
Anyone acquainted with the epic immediately pictures
Yoda, and understands Luke’s own surprise at Yoda’s
unusual appearance: green, short, big-eared, and apt to
always place his verbs in unusual places when he speaks.
His sense of humor, though funny, is just beyond
Luke’s understanding. But
his verbal exchanges with Luke are not without purpose; he
teaches through paradox and practical jokes, always pressing
Luke to think beyond his worldview categories and to
question assumptions. Luke
soon learns that beneath Yoda’s quirky exterior and
behavior is a very learned, wise, powerful, and
compassionate elder.
Most
of all, Luke learns that being a Jedi Knight requires
profound commitment. At
one point, Yoda challenges Luke to raise his X-wing star
fighter form the swamp where it had sunk.
Luke is unsuccessful, eventually losing heart.
At this point, Luke says that he “tried” to do as
he was asked, but he concluded from his failure that the
task was impossible. Yoda
responded by saying, “And that is why you fail!”
At that, Yoda raises the ship onto dry ground, turns
to Luke, and says, “Do or not do.
There is no try.”
Often, the best words a leader can hear--however painful it
might be--is "Do or not do. There is no try."
Are
you facing a challenge at work or at home, one for which you
have given up? May I invite you to look again at that
challenge as an
opportunity for change and for growth.* Email me today
to see how you can take a step up, rather than a step back.
*
This article is an excerpt from The Leader's Trek, coming
this summer. |
