The Lion and the Statue

A Lion and a Man chanced to travel in company through the forest. They soon began to quarrel, for each of them boasted that he and his kind were far superior to the other both in strength and mind.

The man took them to a clearing where there stood a statue. It was a representation of Heracles in the act of tearing the jaws of the Nemean Lion.

“See,” said the man, “that’s how strong we are! The King of Beasts is like wax in our hands!”

“Ho!” laughed the Lion, “a Man made that statue. It would have been quite a different scene had a Lion made it!”

This is a bit like the saying ‘history is written by the victors’. 

True impartiality is difficult to come by and we need to be aware of the sources of information we use.

But also, it helps our understanding to seek out diverse and varied references in relation to our beliefs/biases - to ensure as much as possible that we have a reasoned and balanced perception. 

The Astrologer

A man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the future in the stars. He called himself an Astrologer, and spent his time at night gazing at the sky.

One evening he was walking along the open road outside the village. His eyes were fixed on the stars. He thought he saw there that the end of the world was at hand, when all at once, down he went into a hole full of mud and water.

There he stood up to his ears, in the muddy water, and madly clawing at the slippery sides of the hole in his effort to climb out.

His cries for help soon brought the villagers running. As they pulled him out of the mud, one of them said:

“You pretend to read the future in the stars, and yet you fail to see what is at your feet! This may teach you to pay more attention to what is right in front of you, and let the future take care of itself.”

The Crow and the Pitcher

In a spell of dry weather, when there was very little to drink, a thirsty crow found a pitcher with some water in it. 

But the pitcher was deep, and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the crow could not reach the water. 

It felt as if it would die of thirst.

There must be a solution to his problem, so he stopped trying to reach the water and had a think.

Then an idea came to him. 

Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them, one at a time, into the pitcher. 

With each pebble, the level of the water rose a little higher until at last it was high enough so he could drink.

If you have a problem, don’t keep trying the same thing expecting it to work eventually.  Take a break, think, look at it from a different angle, in some cases asking someone else with greater experience might provide a solution.  

But most importantly - don’t give up.

Hercules and the Farmer

A Farmer was driving his wagon along a muddy country road after heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill.

The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it cursing his bad luck, calling loudly on Hercules to come to his aid.

Hercules appeared saying: “Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses.
Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and whining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself.”

So the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, at first the wagon moved slowly, but then more easily, and soon the Farmer was happily riding along.

You must be willing to help yourself before expecting help from others.

The Elephant and the Monkey

Elephant and monkey were good friends, however one day they quarrelled.

The powerful elephant said, "Being strong is better than being agile."

The monkey said ,"No! Being agile is better!"

They couldn’t agree, so they went to the wise owl so he could sort out their argument.

They asked the owl," Is it better to be strong or agile? Please tell us."

The owl was wise and he thought for a while.

Then he said to them " See that big river over there? I want you to cross it."

"When you reach the other side, you will see a tall coconut palm, pluck two coconuts for me and bring them back here - then I will answer your question."

They both got to the river - the monkey was afraid because he couldn't swim. The elephant said, "I will carry you." So they both safely reached the other side.

When they got to the coconut palm they saw that the fruit was right at the top.

"Oh, dear!" said the elephant. "I cannot reach the coconuts!"

"I can!" said the monkey. He jumped up the tree and climbed to the top. Then he picked two coconuts and came back down.

When he had plucked two coconuts, the monkey came down.

The elephant was waiting for him. On the way back, the elephant again carried the monkey on his back across the river.

Soon they were back with the owl.

The owl said ," If the elephant was not strong, you would not have crossed the river safely."

"And if the monkey was not agile you would not have been able to pick the coconuts."

"So you see, being strong and being agile are as good as each other, and if they work together you can achieve more than if they work separately."

The elephant and the monkey looked at each other, laughed and walked off together.

Potatoes, Eggs and Coffee - Which Are You?

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that life was miserable and that unfortunate things kept happening and she didn’t know how she was going to manage.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one followed.

Her father took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on the fire.

Once the pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he took the pots off the fire.

He took the potatoes and the eggs out of their pots and put them in a bowl. He then poured the coffee into a cup.

Then he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she replied.

“Look closer” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted they were soft.

“Now break an egg” he said. After pulling off the shell, she saw the egg was hard.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same situation - the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in, hard and unrelenting, but came out soft and weak.

The egg went in fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid inner, until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being put in the boiling water they changed the water itself and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter.

The only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to circumstances. Life is all about learning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Remaining Calm

This week it’s less of a fable and more a leadership lesson from history
Abraham Lincoln how to stay professional and not to let your emotions rule you

Abraham Lincoln was the epitome of a calm leader, and he accomplished many things.

However, with his great achievements he also had a reputation for remaining calm, even when those around him severely tested his nerve or annoyed him. He was the consummate professional, he didn’t get angry.

Apparently he managed this by keeping a lid on his emotions at the time he was annoyed, and then at the soonest possible moment wrote a letter to the person who had annoyed him, putting on paper all the feelings he had pent up at the time. These letters were never sent! He filed them away until he’d calmed down, at which point he would dispose of the letter. If he knew that the person was aware they had annoyed him, he would write a second letter saying he didn’t bear them a grudge.


You don't have to do a Lincoln and write a letter, but it is useful to find a way to release your emotions without screaming at others. Whether that's going for a walk, playing squash or relaxing with a good book, finding an outlet for your pent-up anger and disappointment will make your relationships at work much better. Although there is a lot to be said for physically writing down how you feel about a situation and then destroying it - it can be quite satisfying and doesn’t upset everyone.

Next step is to learn how to have difficult conversations with people to make sure the likelihood of a situation arising again is reduced!!

Are You a Corporal or a General?

The story goes that one rainy day a man on a horse came across a group of men. They were soldiers attempting to raise a wooden beam. The men were struggling to get the beam into position. The only person not working was an officer who was shouting encouragingly at the men.

After watching their lack of success for a short while, the many on the horse asked the officer why he didn’t join in and help, to which the officer replied, “don’t you realise, I’m a corporal?” Politely the man replied ” I beg your pardon, Mr. Corporal”.

The man then dismounted his horse and went to work with the soldiers to get the beam into position. When they’d finished, the man wiped the perspiration from his face, and said to the soldiers “If you should need help again, call on Washington, your commander-in-chief, and I will come”. The passer by had been none other than George Washington!

I don’t think anyone would have questioned General Washington if he had simply ordered the corporal into the mud to help his team, or even if he’d just added his voice to encourage the men to achieve their task. Instead he assessed the situation and did what was necessary to support his team in achieving the goal. In this case it meant doing exactly the same as them, his rank was not a consideration.

I’m sure the Corporal considered himself a good manager, and was encouraging his team. He may well have thought that to do the same work as the soldiers would make him seem like a weak leader and undermine his authority.

However, Washington understood that to be willing to get your boots dirty in order to help get the job done is what a true leader needs to be able to do.

So what are you? A Corporal or a General?

The Farmer

Once upon a time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbours were sympathetic. "Such bad luck," they said.

"Perhaps," the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "What great luck!" the neighbours exclaimed.

"Perhaps," replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbours again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

"Perhaps," answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbours congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

"Perhaps," said the farmer...

We’ve all had experiences where what seems to be bad luck has a positive result. Believe that trials will soon pass, and that good may yet come of the experience

Take Care to Feed the Right Wolf!

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life...
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied,
"The one you feed.”

The Star Thrower

this week’s fable was written by Loren C Eiseley and is called The Star Thrower

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,

“Well, I made a difference for that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved. 

Making a difference for one is significant on its own, but if you carry on with your convictions, even when others doubt, you will inspire others and have an even bigger impact.

What’s Your Why?

Once there lived a wise and noble king. He lived a happy life with his wife. Then, only a few years after their marriage, and before they had any children, his wife got very sick and died. While devastated by the loss of his wife, the king ruled with honour and took care of the people in his kingdom. The king never remarried.

As the years passed the king knew the time would come where he would have to find the right person to rule the kingdom. He decided to call upon the people of the kingdom to help him find a suitable heir to the throne, but realised there would have to be a test to help identify the most promising candidate.

One day, while the king was taking a stroll through the countryside, he came upon a massive sinkhole. “I’ve got it!” exclaimed the King. “I know the test that would help me identify the next king.” And with that, he quickly returned to the castle to share his idea with his advisors.

The next day the king issued a decree. “Come one, come all. In three weeks’ time, those who feel worthy enough to take my place will meet in the town square to demonstrate why you are the one who should be heir to the throne.”

Thousands of people travelled from every corner of the kingdom, with the dream of being chosen as the king’s successor. The king took everyone out to the countryside to show them the sinkhole. “Here is the question that, if answered correctly, will earn you the rightful place as our next ruler.”

Pointing to the massive hole, he simply asked, “What should I do?”

After several days and hundreds of responses, no one had yet to come up with the right answer. Candidates would say “Fill it with rocks and dirt.” “Fill it with water.” “Build a bridge across the sinkhole.” “Build a wall around it.” “Put up warning signs.” “Make it a graveyard.” “Leave it be.” While some of these were interesting ideas, they weren’t what the king was looking for.

The king was getting discouraged as the number of candidates dwindled. It was then the turn of a young girl to answer the king’s question; a poor farm girl from the countryside she was ridiculed by those older and wiser.

“So,” the king began with a disheartened and sceptical tone. “What should I do?”

The young woman hesitated for a moment and then responded with, “Why do anything?”

Suddenly, the king’s disposition changed. He looked at the young woman and asked with hope, “Why? When everyone else advised me what I could do with the sinkhole, why are you the only one not to advise me at all, nor tell me what I should do? Why do you come to me with only a question?”

The young woman respectfully answered. “Because I cannot answer your question, my king. I don’t know your why. Until I understand not just what you want to do but why you want to do anything about this sinkhole and your intentions behind it, only then can I advise you to create your desired outcome, even if the proper course of action is to do nothing.”

“Congratulations,” exclaimed the king. “You are the next heir to the throne of our kingdom.” The town was shocked. The elders of the town questioned the king. “Why this girl?”

To which the king replied, “I never wanted to fix anything. That was not my intention. Everyone came to me with a solution to fixing what they assumed was a problem that needed fixing. They never took the time to uncover and understand my why or my desired intentions and point of view.

This young woman was the only one who was insightful enough to seek out my intention and uncover my why.”

The key to being a great leader is understanding what your people want and expect from you and why they want it. When leading your team to a shared goal and vision, they need to understand not only what they need to do but why they are doing it so they can see how they personally benefit. To set and manage people’s expectations and create alignment in thinking and action requires understanding people’s why, who they are and their intentions.

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Two swindlers arrive at the emperors’ court.  The emperor is renowned for spending lavishly on clothing. The swindlers pose as tailors and manage to get an audience with the emperor, where they offer to supply him with the most magnificent clothes made from a cloth so special that it cannot be seen by those who are stupid or incompetent. The emperor hires them, and they set up looms and go to work. 

The emperor visits the ‘tailors’ to check their progress. The loom appears empty, but not wanting to be seen as a fool the emperor pretends he sees fine cloth. As the emperor says he can see fine cloth, his courtiers also claim they can see it - so that the emperor does not think they are fools. Finally, the weavers report that the emperor's suit is finished. They ‘dress’ him and he sets off in a procession before the whole city. 

The cityfolk also uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid themselves.  Eventually a child asks why the emperor is naked at which point everyone realises they have been fooled.

What leadership lessons can we learn from this?  

Leaders need to be self-aware, build trusting relationships where it is safe to speak up with a different view-point, and be able to admit when they are wrong, learn from the experience and move on!

Positive Thinking and Perspective

Years ago two salesmen were sent by a shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.The first salesman reported back, "There is no potential here - nobody wears shoes."The second salesman reported back, "There is massive potential here - nobody wears shoes."Always try to see the positive in a situation, maybe by adjusting your perspective.

Working Together

A father whose sons were always fighting wanted to show them the value of the synergy that comes from working together.  So he had one of the sons bring him a bundle of sticks.  He gathered his sons around him, and one at a time, he asked each young man to take the bundle of sticks and try to break it.  None succeeded.  He then split open the bundle, and handed each son one or two sticks, asking them once again to try to break them.  This time, the sons did so easily.  “You see boys,” he said.  “Individually, these sticks do not have much strength, but when you combine their individual might, they form something of much greater power.  Separately, you can be broken, but together, you are stronger.”

The Pied Piper

I’ve been thinking and reading about successful negotiation this week, and I was reminded of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlen, which shows us what happens when negotiations go wrong.  Much of a negotiated win-win deal is the building of a trusting relationship - break the trust and goodness knows what will happen!

In the year 1284 Hameln was besieged by rats. The citizens offered a rich reward to anyone who could rid them of the rats.  One day a man entered the town and accepted the offer. He was wearing a coat of many colored, bright cloth, for which reason he was called the Pied Piper. 

The man then took a small fife from his pocket and began to play a weird sort of tune. Rats and mice immediately came from every house and gathered around him. When he thought that he had them all he led them to the River where he walked into the water. All the rats followed him and drowned. Now that the citizens had been freed of their plague, they regretted having promised so much money, and, using all kinds of excuses, they only offered him a small part of the originally agreed amount. 

Finally he went away, bitter and angry. He returned on Saint John’s and Saint Paul’s Day early in the morning with a dreadful look on his face and wearing a strange red hat. He sounded his fife in the streets, but this time it wasn’t rats that came to him, but children. The swarm followed him, and he led them to a mountain, where he disappeared into a cave with them never to be seen again. Three children couldn’t keep up and didn’t go into the cave.  They were able to relay the story of what had happened to the adults.

The North Wind and the Sun

In both our professional and personal lives it’s not unusual to have tasks that we need others to do.  The age-old adage ‘the carrot and a stick’ is often applicable.  In today’s fast-paced world too often it’s the stick that wins out, many rely on using force to get things done in their quest to be at the fore-front in the rat-race, regardless of the impact on others and the stress it brings. However, the carrot is far more effective, gentle persuasion acts as a motivator and helps in getting most of the jobs done in a simpler way.  

The North Wind and the Sun (Aesop) illustrates this brilliantly. 

The North Wind and the Sun had a quarrel about which of them was the stronger. While they were disputing with much heat and bluster, a traveller passed along the road wrapped in a cloak.

"Let us agree," said the Sun, "that he is the stronger who can strip that traveller of his cloak."

"Very well," growled the North Wind, and at once sent a cold, howling blast against the traveller .

With the first gust of wind the ends of the cloak whipped about the traveller’s body. But he immediately wrapped it closely around him, and the harder the Wind blew, the tighter he held it to him. The North Wind tore angrily at the cloak, but all his efforts were in vain.

Then the Sun began to shine. At first his beams were gentle, and in the pleasant warmth after the bitter cold of the North Wind, the traveller unfastened his cloak and let it hang loosely from his shoulders. The Sun's rays grew warmer and warmer. The man took off his cap and mopped his brow. At last he became so heated that he pulled off his cloak, and, to escape the blazing sunshine, threw himself down in the welcome shade of a tree by the roadside.