Opportunities – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

An Obstacle or Opportunity?

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. – Frank A. Clark

A story tells of an ancient time when a king placed a boulder on a roadway as a test. After placing the boulder in the road, he hid and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.

Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and couriers came by and simply walked around it. Many blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the boulder out of the way.

Then, a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where he had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many never understood. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one’s condition.

What do you do with the boulders and challenges you find on your road? How do you handle adversity? What are the consequences of your decisions? Let’s look at some examples from the story.

You can ignore them.

Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and couriers first approached the boulder in the road. Being people of wealth and means, you would think that if they couldn’t move the boulder themselves, at the least, they could pay someone to do it for them. Wrong.

The first group left the boulder right where it was, a convenient representation of their desire not to get involved or be bothered. Many complained and blamed the king for the poor road conditions.

From a leadership perspective, this was a terrible move, not just because they could have done something about it but also because they passed the burden of the boulder on to the next set of travelers to fix. The wealthy merchants represent self-absorbed leaders who only think of themselves. And now, because of their actions, they leave the problem to someone else.

Leaders, remember that your actions today bear consequences for others tomorrow. You can leave a clear path for others or leave obstacles you find for others to deal with later.

Leadership Insight: Small obstacles you ignore today can become boulders tomorrow. Clear the path not only for yourself but for those who follow you.

Additional Resource: Embracing The Hard Things in Leadership

You can do the heavy lifting and reap the reward.

The peasant comes down the road and finds the same boulder blocking his path. Unable to remove it himself, he recruits some help, and together, they move it.

The peasant in the story represents a servant leadership mindset. He knows that it is in his best interest to move the boulder for his own passage and for those coming behind him.

In his book, High Road Leadership, John Maxwell writes, “When you do what’s right, you’re not only taking the high road with others. You are taking the high road with yourself.” And this is precisely what the peasant and his helpers did. They took the high road by clearing the road for others to travel.

The happy ending to the story is that the king left a note and a purse filled with gold coins – the reward for the person who moved the boulder from the road.

While the servant leadership mindset is not about what you get in return for your actions, it demonstrates that good things come to those who put others first. When you take the high road, you make the road better for everyone. Click To Tweet

Leadership Insight: As a leader, be willing to do the heavy lifting – not for the sake of the reward, but because of the joy found in serving others.

On your leadership journey, you will encounter boulders. How you see them—as obstacles or opportunities—will make all the difference.

Additional Resource: The Power of Resistance in Leadership

Please follow and like us:

Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities

Posted May 6, 2024May 11, 2024
by admin

Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal. – E. Joseph Cossman

I read a story about a young man who aimed to be a star journalist. However, he lived in a small town with little hope of attaining that goal.

One day the dam upstream broke and the town was flooded. Seizing the opportunity, the aspiring journalist got in a rowboat and headed out to find a story. A short time later, he discovered a woman sitting on her rooftop. He tied up the boat and told her what he was after. They watched as various items floated past the house. The woman would say, “Now there’s a story,” or “No, that’s not a story,” as each item floated past them.

Finally, a hat floats by and then does a 180-degree turn, goes back upstream a ways, and does another 180-degree turn. This continues for a while. Excited, the young man exclaims, “Now, that’s a story!” The woman turns to the young man and says, “Oh no, that’s not a story, that’s my husband. He said he was going to mow the lawn come hell or high water!”.

In life, as in leadership, we often face obstacles disguised as opportunities. But if we take our goals for too long we can be distracted and soon we only see obstacles. As leaders, we must be intentional about this challenge.

Consider what happened to Thomas Edison in December 1914. Thomas Edison experienced such a defining moment. His lab caught fire and everything was destroyed. He lost almost $1 million of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, when walking around the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said, “There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew.”

How can an aspiring young journalist, or an inventor like Edison, find the opportunity in chaos and obstacles? There are a few clues worth discovering and applying in your leadership.

One person’s flood is another person’s break

When the dam broke and the town flooded, it was an opportunity for the aspiring journalist to find his big story – to get his big break. He had the ambition to get in the boat and look for it.

When the dams break around you, what you choose to see and how you respond will make all the difference between it being an obstacle and an opportunity. Click To Tweet

One person’s fire is another person’s reset

When Edison’s lab was destroyed by fire when he was 67, throwing it in the towel and calling it quits would have been easy. I am sure many would not have blamed him. But he chose to start anew. Within thirty days after the fire, Edison delivered the first phonograph.

For Edison, the fire was his reset. Many of his great works came after the fire. When you face obstacles and challenges, it allows you the opportunity to hit the reset button and move in a new and better direction.

Final Thoughts

Here is a challenge for you that comes from John Maxwell. He asks, “The last time you failed, did you stop trying because you failed, or did you fail because you stopped trying?” Much is riding on your answer. You will face obstacles, but whether you turn them into opportunities is what you have to decide.

Please follow and like us:

Are You an Opportunistic Leader?

Posted June 16, 2016
by admin

opportunity

Your big opportunity may be right where you are now. – Napoleon Hill

In Bits & Pieces a number of years back the story is told of an energetic young man who began work as a clerk in a hardware store. Like many old- time hardware stores, the inventory included thousands of dollars’ worth of items that were obsolete or seldom called for by customers. The young man was smart enough to know that no thriving business could carry such an inventory and still show a healthy profit. He proposed a sale to get rid of the stuff. The owner was reluctant but finally agreed to let him set up a table in the middle of the store and try to sell off a few of the oldest items. Every product was priced at ten cents. The sale was a success and the young fellow got permission to run a second sale. It, too, went over just as well as the first. This gave the young clerk an idea. Why not open a store that would sell only nickel and dime items? He could run the store and his boss could supply the capital.

The young man’s boss was not enthusiastic. “The plan will never work,” he said, “because you can’t find enough items to sell at a nickel and a dime.” The young man was disappointed but eventually went ahead on his own and made a fortune out of the idea. His name was F.W. Woolworth.

Years later his old boss lamented, “As near as I can figure it, every word I used in turning Woolworth down has cost me about a million dollars!”

When thinking of an opportunistic person what mental image comes to mind? For some it’s an image of a person seizing a moment in time to be unscrupulous or devious. But I’d like to frame it from a different perspective.

As a leader with influence you have many opportunities that come your way and not all of them have to do with what you gain. Often it’s about what you can give. Here are five characteristics of opportunistic leaders.

Opportunistic leaders take time to listen

This point might stand in contrast to the “leader” in the organization who is more accustomed to talking and being heard. But opportunistic leaders understand the value of listening to his or her people. The best leaders know that it’s not always about what you have to say that is important but in what you hear. Be an opportunistic leader and tune in to those around you. You might just learn something.

Opportunistic leaders look for ways to serve

Leaders who make their mark on the world do so by finding ways to serve others and causes greater than themselves. This can be done in so many ways and on so many different levels large and small. This opportunistic leader is less concerned about the limelight and simply finds joy in serving others and making their small corner of the world a better place to live. In what ways are you serving those around you?

Opportunistic leaders are always growing

Opportunistic leaders have a healthy appetite for personal growth and development. It’s understood therefore that it won’t happen by chance or without being intentional. What personal growth and development and leadership books are you reading? How about magazines like Success (my favorite) and other resources to help you sharpen your leadership skills? Opportunistic leaders are always striving to be better and make their personal growth and development a priority.

Opportunistic leaders build relationships

A good leader understands the value of relationships and will make building them a priority. An opportunistic leader knows that strong relationships are the foundation of his organization and it contributes to a healthy culture. As good of a benefit as that is; it’s even nicer for your people to know that you care about them as a person and that you see their worth not just for what they do but simply for who they are.

Opportunistic leaders are willing to take risks

Some might argue that risk-taking is throwing caution to the wind, but I beg to differ. Opportunistic leaders realize that this brief moment in time spent on earth is but a vapor and every moment is a gift from God to make a difference. Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.” I believe it’s true.

Opportunistic leaders are not in it for themselves. They are looking for ways to leave their mark on the world and to add value to others along the way.

Have you found your next opportunity?

Please follow and like us: