In the 2003 film Elf, Will Ferrel exclaims that for elves there are four main food groups: Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn, and Syrup. The saying is a comical reference to the USDA's recommended "Basic Four": 1) Vegetables/Fruits, 2) Milk, 3) Meat, 4) Cereals/Breads. As the holidays approach, my children are fond of quoting this expression, since they would prefer to avoid the USDA's Four in favor of Elf's Four. Who wouldn't?
In the professional realm, it's often easy to loose sight of the sweetness of those with whom we interact. We are tempted to regularly serve up large portions of spinach so that our teams and organizations can stay strong. Now, a side of spinach from time-to-time with the meal is fine thing (preferably sauteed in extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic, of course). Man does not live by spinach alone! Except maybe in the comic strips.
Savoring sweets over the holidays, whether they be fine Belgian chocolates, the company of loved ones, or your colleagues at work is a fine way of reflecting on the gifts we've received over the course of the past year.
So, go ahead and pour some syrup on that spaghetti.
In the 1975 horror/suspense
film Jaws, an unlikely trio of men
which include a drunk ship captain (Quint-played by Robert Shaw), an elected
local police chief who cannot swim ((Brody-played by Roy Scheider) , and a
smart-aleky young oceanographer (Hooper-played by Richard Dreyfus) prepare to go to sea in
search of a great white shark that has been terrorizing a seaside
community. As Hooper loads his gear onboard, Quint queries:
Quint: What d'ya have there -
a portable shower or a monkey cage?
Hooper: Anti-Shark cage.
Quint: Anti-shark cage. You
go inside the cage?
[Hooper nods]
Quint: Cage goes in the
water, you go in the water. Shark's in the water. Our shark.
Quint [singing]: Farewell and adieu toyou, fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain. For we'vereceived orders for to sail back to Boston. And so nevermore shall we see youagain.
I relay this scene in Jaws as metaphor to illustrate how we tend cage our own hearts in order to protect ourselves from the sharks of day-to-day life. Leaders can be (and often are) especially tempted to close off their compassion out of fear of being devoured in the sea of life.
As a leader, how are you caging your heart?
Lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh, my!
In Frank Baum's 1900 Wonderful Wizard of Oz, our heroine, Dorothy, is swept up by a fierce tornado and later finds herself deposited in the land of Oz, far from her family and home in Kansas. In order to find her way home, Dorothy is advised to seek counsel from the great Wizard of Oz, who is located in the Emerald City which a long journey down the yellow brick road. Along the way, Dorothy meets three traveling companions who agree to accompany her: a Scare Crow, a Tin Man, and a Lion. Each hopes that the Wizard will be able to grant them something they seem to lack: Dorothy-her home, the Scare Crow-a brain, the Tin Man-a heart, and the Lion-courage. Together, they encounter many trials along their journey, including a challenge by the Wizard to return to him with the broom stick of the evil and Wicked Witch of the West.
This fantastic children's novel may serve as an allegory for leadership. Like Dorothy, many of us often find ourselves caught up in the storm of our circumstances, and deposited in uncertain territory, seeking the proverbial "way home". Along the way, we need to access the wisdom (brains), compassion (heart), and courage to resist evil, do the right thing(s), and stay on the path, or "yellow brick road". And, as with Dorothy, it can be a great adventure filled with trial and tribulation.
At the end of "Oz", the Scarecrow gets his brain, the Tin Man his heart, the Lion his courage, and Dorothy her home. Upon closer examination, perhaps we notice that each character had these all along. Or, better still, shall we say that we notice that Dorothy possessed these virtues, and the journey served to strengthened them.
As a leader, what do you notice about your own wisdom, heart, and courage?
