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The Story of the North Wind and the Sun

by Douglas R. Rosensteel, CMC

The Sun was having an argument with the North Wind. Who was smarter, who was stronger? The North Wind pointed out a man walking down the street. “I bet I can make that man take off his coat, and you can’t.”

“I’ll take that bet,” said the Sun. So the North Wind blew and blew and blew. And the more the North Wind blew, the tighter that man held his coat around himself. And then the Sun came out, and smiled, and it became warmer. The man took off his coat.

This is a story about choice. Both the North Wind and the Sun had the same goal. They had very different ideas about what constituted Smart and Strong, though, and so chose to accomplish the goal in different ways.

Let’s talk about the North Wind. I am now the North Wind. I am incredibly powerful. I can destroy the landscape at a whim. I can uproot trees and flowers, level buildings, cause tidal waves. I can hurl massive objects. I can topple mountains. I can crash planes and sink ships. The creatures of the Earth fear and respect me. They cringe at my very presence.

But look what else the North Wind can do. He can fly kites. He can remove massive obstacles. He can sculpt mountains and deserts. He can help birds and planes in their quest to fly high. He can spread the seeds of flowers, painting the land with their beauty, bringing joy into the world. He can make the climate refreshing on a hot, blistering day. He chose not to.

Let’s talk about the Sun. I am now the Sun. I am incredibly powerful. I can make people look forward to the coming day. I can make the environment pleasing. I can eliminate the need to cover up against the wind. People feel delight in my presence. I can make them happy just by smiling. I can warm the oceans. I can make the trees and flowers grow. I can make all of life more pleasing for the creatures of the Earth because I am here.

But look what else the Sun can do. He can make people dread the day and pray for the night. He can singe the planet. He can burn stone and melt flesh. He can make all creatures fear and respect his strength. He can boil the oceans and turn the cooling Wind to Flame on a hot, miserable day. He chose not to.

There is power in choice. We in management have a choice. The choices we make will determine our effectiveness as leaders, and the effectiveness of our organization.

I am now a Leader. I am incredibly powerful. I can squeeze the most from people and make them hate the coming day. I can cause turnover and absenteeism. I can make people feel uncomfortable simply by my presence. I can make the most self-confident employee question his own ability. I can make everyone fear and respect my strength and position. They will loathe me, but I am not here to make friends. My power lies in my ability to drive people to achieve the goals I desire.

But look what else I can do. I can bring out the strength in people. I can show them how to feel good about themselves. I can bring them together to create a vision we can all believe in. I can show them how, together, we can make our vision happen. People look forward to seeing me. I can be the kind of person others naturally follow. My power lies in my ability to lead people down a path they helped to create.

Which is my choice?

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