KEEPING PROMISES (Leadership lesson) Once upon a time a rat had the misfortune to be snared by the lion. The rat begged the lion not to kill him. “I promise that if you free me I will, someday, help you.” The king of the jungle snickered. Then, the more he thought about how silly the idea was of a rat helping him, he began to chuckle, and then laugh uproariously. As he caught his breath between fits of laughter, lion managed to ask the rat, “How can you, a little runt, ever help me?” The rat replied, “Life is not always what you expect. Appearances can be deceiving.” The lion, shaking his head but feeling magnanimous, let the rat go. Two years later, the lion was hunting in the bush. Unbeknownst to him a zookeeper was in the area, capturing animals for his zoo. Carelessly, lion stepped on a net that immediately wrapped itself around him, lifted him high and left him hanging from a tree branch. The rat saw the king of the jungle, wrapped in a net, swinging from a high tree branch. Quickly, the rat scurried up the tree and began chewing the net’s strands, one by one. Rat could hear the approaching zookeeper’s trucks, filled with empty cages, rattling in the distance. Lion pleaded with the rat, “Hurry. Hurry. Please hurry.” Finally, as the sound of the rattling cages grew louder and louder, rat finished chewing the last strand that trapped the lion in the net. The lion leapt to the ground and quickly ran into the bush. Only then did the lion pause and realize the truth of what rat had said two years earlier. Lion promised himself never again to judge anyone by their size or appearance. What can Leaders Learn from this Lesson? This is a powerful story that points out how everyone, no matter how small or insignificant, is important. It is also a tribute to one’s word – keeping promises. While in this story it is a leader who is learning the lesson, the same applies to all of us. Never hesitate to help someone in need; you may need their help in return one day. It is much better to have friends who owe you than enemies whom you left dying and who will attempt a pay back one day. That way you can sleep in peace, and should one day you are in trouble; trust in getting help from someone whom you helped first. Source: Lead Like a Lion, Leadership Lessons from East-African Animal Stories
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 18:47:29 +0000
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