Follow the Leader -- If

I will be the first to admit that sheep are not the most intelligent creatures on earth, but from time to time I wonder about some of us people. When sheepherders wish to move their flock from one pasture to another, if there is a slight obstacle in the path, they let a goat lead the way, and it will be the first to jump over the obstacle. The sheep follow dutifully. Interestingly enough, you could remove the obstacle, and the sheep would continue to jump over an obstacle that no longer exists.

To a degree, people are the same way. A major cross-country race in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was to cover a seven-mile (11km) course. Two hours after the race began, there were no runners in sight, and the officials became concerned that something had happened. They set out in their automobiles to find the runners and discovered that all were six or more miles away, running in the wrong direction. Some had actually covered more than ten miles. A.J. Rogers, a race official, said the mix-up apparently occurred when the runner leading the pack took a wrong turn at the fifth checkpoint and the rest followed him.

John Maxwell from San Diego, California, says that in a lifetime, the average person directly or indirectly influences ten thousand other people. Those who are in leadership positions influence many, many more. That is the reason leadership carries such an incredible responsibility – namely, that of making certain you are heading the right direction, that the decisions you make are character-based and the route you choose is a good one. When you make a decision, that decision is going to directly or indirectly influence countless other people. Right decisions by the right people can influence people positively, so make good decisions.

Quotes:

Experience is a hard teacher. It gives the test first, the lesson afterward.

You will never get ahead of others as long as you are trying to get even with them.

Extracted from the book by Zig Ziglar: Something to Smile About.

Note by KC: When I first read this passage, which was arranged as the first story in his book, I was amused and at the same time appreciated the author for “advertising” Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He could have mentioned other races, say, in Thailand, Indonesia, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, etc., but he chose to mention Kuala Lumpur.

It was indeed a privilege to be mentioned though there was minor mishap during the race. That story would put Kuala Lumpur in the world map when readers read this popular book – whether good or bad perception. It was something like your company’s CEO chooses to call your name in the presence of thousands of other employees.

From the descriptions of the race with key words such as Kuala Lumpur, major cross-country, set out in their automobiles – do you think the organizer could be FTAAA?