Three Minute Leadership: Together We Have No Gaps
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
John Donne’s words: ‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continue, a part of the main” capture for great leaders the need for synergy among people, organizations and communities if progress and change are to be realized. As Stephen Covey said … it is the beautiful individual growth from dependence to independence and, finally, interdependence that maximizes our contributions and value to each other. “It is a choice,” he wrote, “that only independent people can make.” It is in this that the rich diversity of ideas and perspectives find their connectedness and exponential value. Magnificent mosaics are created when the individual pieces come together, and even the absence of one small select piece can decrease its value.
In his book, The Power Principle, Blaine Lee, a founding Vice President of the Covey Leadership Center, recounts a story from the first Rocky movie when Rocky proposes to Adrian.
“This is a simple but authentic love scene,” he writes, “Although it is a little rough, Rocky looks at her and at this stage she appears homely and shy. Rock says, ‘ Adrian – you have gaps.’ And she’s crushed – this about destroys her. Is it her personality? Her education: Her figure? Her teeth? ‘But,’ he continues, ‘I have gaps too, but together we have no gaps… no gaps.’ Look what we can do together.”
Great leaders recognize that they have “gaps”. They seek out and value the rich differences that others bring to the table to help them close these gaps. Yes, imagining the unimaginable can only be accomplished when we believe and say: “Look what we can do together.” In realizing our interdependence remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you out to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” This is the beauty and richness of life.
Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!
Mike
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