Three Minute Leadership: Sometimes We Forget….
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
With daunting seemingly and sometimes real 7×24 work schedules, an inner passion and commitment on always giving 200% to everything they touch and a burning fire for life and all that it offers, sometimes great leaders forget that they need to pause, refresh and reenergize. A story from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, provides a reminder of a critically important element to their continued growth and success.
Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter ask for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The paid was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees “Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!” Very motivated for the boss’ words, the woodcutter try harder the next day, but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he try even harder, but he only could bring ten trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. “I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
Covey believed that sharpening your axe means “increasing your personal production capacity by daily self-care and self-maintenance.” It calls for bringing balance back into our life – physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. Underlining its importance to his own life, he quotes Abraham Lincoln: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Take counsel from the advice of Carl ‘Mike” Bryan, tennis coach: “Taking good care of YOU, means the people in your life will receive the best of you, rather than what’s left of you.” Take great care of yourself. You are very special and important to so very many people.
Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!
Mike
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