If You Didn’t Have a Brain, How would You Know
The Tin Man cried because he didn’t have a heart. How can a heartless person cry over being heartless?
The Scarecrow figured out how to save Dorothy from the witch, even though he thought he didn’t have a brain.
If you didn’t have a brain, how would you know?
All the characters in the Wizard of Oz had what they sought.
Drive and capacity:
Drive to possess suggests capacity to display.
The Cowardly Lion longed for courage, but he displayed courage on the quest to save Dorothy.
The drive to be compassionate, courageous, organized, or motivational suggests capacity for these qualities.
Wish not drive:
Drive goes deeper than wish.
You wish you could get organized. You have an annual organizing binge. But, in a few weeks, your office returns to chaos. If you die with a messy desk, it won’t bother you. Getting organized is a wish not a drive.
Quest:
The quest to save Dorothy displayed and developed the Tin Man’s heart, the Cowardly Lion’s courage, and the Scarecrows brains.
Quest reveals and develops capacity.
What quality are you driven to possess? Engage in activities that require that quality. Are you driven to communicate effectively? Jump into roles that require communication skills.
The characters of the Wizard of Oz had what they sought, but didn’t know it, until they lost themselves on the quest to save Dorothy from the Wicked Witch.
Find capacity and develop sufficiency while serving, not before.
Push yourself into deeper waters. Hold yourself to high standards. Join others on a noble quest.
The weakness that makes you crazy may be strength waiting to emerge.
Tip:
Connect with fellow travelers on your quest. You won’t get there on our own.
How have weaknesses become strengths on your journey?
How has being in over your head developed you?
Dan,
When we overcome weakness we develop our own courage, fortitude, and tough skin to handle the journey. Roadblocks do occur we just have to determine the methodology to navigate them. Getting in over your head gives you the option to learn and get on top instead of being on the bottom if you have the drive, the downside you can crumble and fade away!
Thank Tim. I feel the danger of getting in over your head…too much and you drown. I wonder if when we feel like we are drowning we learn to reach out to others. That’s a good thing. 🙂
When we are drowning, if the drive is there this is when we learn to swim! I have experienced almost drowning figuratively and literally and there have been life long lessons from both experiences. I am new to Leadership Freak and LOVE it!
Dangerous when you have 1/2 a brain, and folks think they can do things they really can’t. Dorothy just ain’t safe when that’s going on.
Thanks Lou. The belief that we can do things that we really can’t seems dangerous. That’s where putting ourselves to the test helps clarify reality.
Wow, deep one today! Love it! Just this week I’ve come to a realization that my worry over not being considerate or nice enough to others was rather silly, similar to the Tin Man’s unaware, and somewhat unnecessary, drive to have a heart. I looked back and saw people being hurt but also saw my attempts to explain it was unintended and working hard to mend it. Sometimes we are very silly animals.
Thanks James. I feel a sense of journey in your comment. That’s the best to me.
What a great post: Move into your challenges – therein lies the adventure, the growth and the contribution you have to make.
Thanks Kevin. It’s hard to move forward while pulling back.
Great post! Great analogies. Thanks Dan!
Thanks Sarah. Here’s to the journey.
Plenty of food for thought here! Isn’t it great how overcoming weaknesses builds confidence, not only to overcome other weakness, but to maximize strengths as well?
Speaking to theme of quests, I recommend “The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life” by Chris Guillebeau. It was an excellent read on quests.
Wow! Resembles the journey I am on…. Teaching has become so easy that I have found that I need to add more to keep myself challenged and reaching out to help other colleagues has me learning all over again. Gaining confidence to step up as a lecturer and share experiences and learn at the same time. A year ago I would never had even attempted due to lack of confidence. It has all come about from reaching out and helping others.
As a Kansan, I love this post on more than one level! 🙂 I often say we don’t know what we don’t know, yet we often have more going for us than we give ourselves credit for. Jumping and putting the focus on service to others often brings out the best in everyone – both the servant and the served.
Love this post! The desire to be better drives us toward that goal which means . . . we are already better. “Seek and, therefore, you will find.”
Excellent, Dan. Better than answers and solutions are reasoning and cognitive skills: DEEP THINK! Your post is proof we all have a deep well of life experiences from which we can cull powerful and meaningful thoughts…and not just solutions-as-usual or answers-like-before.
And we–as leaders and managers today–must remember when we were staff members and we’d say: “This is how I would handle things,” or, “This is how I would change things if I were manager.”
Are we doing the same things as the managers before us? Or, are we using DEEP THINK to use our mind, heart and courage not only to see old landscapes with NEW eyes, but to point out to our staff members how new journeys have “secret destinations” of which the traveler may be unaware.
Your analogy, your parallel, Dan, does that. Great piece of work! Congrats.
i really like these questions: “How have weaknesses been your strengths? ” and” How has being in over your head developed you?” My experiences of being in over my head have been among the most life changing for me. I have, nearly always, surprised myself with what I am capable of doing when I am pushed outside of my comfort zones. I continue to be afraid but I face the challenges because they grow me more than anything else. I look forward to hearing your stories. Posted by Juliette Gyure, change management and transition coach.
Thanks for the post, Dan. A wonderful article to share on developing one’s drive and quest to turn weaknesses into strengths while serving others. Will share with my co-workers at my end-of-year staff meeting.
Great explanation of a wish!
Dan I love this! As an educator and inspirational speaker this touches my core being. May I refer to your post in one of my upcoming 2015 presentations? I will give credit to you with a slide of your blog and send you a copy?
Happy Holidays
Tina