Manufacture Your Day by KNOWING LEADERSHIP MATTERS

It’s Wednesday and it’s time for “Manufacturing Leadership Minute” with Karin.

Make sure to watch my video by clicking the link below:

VIDEO ⇒

I have often wondered why so many people in leadership positions stop improving themselves.

John Maxwell calls it “Destination Disease”. Some people sadly think that they have “arrived”.

I do believe these times require extraordinary leadership.

It has never been more difficult for leaders to demonstrate emotional intelligence while navigating through uncertainty at the same time.

Great leaders don’t only…

• have courage – they encourage.

• demonstrate power – they empower.

• strive to be rich – they enrich peoples’ lives.

• aim to prove themselves – they improve themselves.

People are like plants. The more you look after them, the better they will develop.

While people need recognition and appreciation, plants need water and light. While people need learning experiences in order to grow, plants need fertilizer.

Today I would like to share a leadership story from an unknown author.

The Story of the Seed

“A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, ‘It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. ‘The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. ‘I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.’

Selection Process

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow.

Growth Process

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot…

But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the boardroom. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. ‘My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,’ said the CEO. ‘Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!’

The Surprise

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, ‘The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!’

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, ‘Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!’ Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed.

‘How could he be the new CEO?’ the others said.

Then the CEO said, ‘One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.

Jim was the only one in this room with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. He did not substitute it with another seed as the rest of you did. I know he will run this company with a conscience.”

• honesty, you will reap trust.
• personal excellence, you will reap operational excellence.
• kindness and respect, you will reap motivation and drive.

Food for Thought:

What seeds do you plant?

Please read the HBR article:

The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs