Leadership - What are you feeding your people?

Are your people getting what they need from you to become fully engaged … and give their best - day in, day out?

Here’s a great story…

A woman bought a parrot, took him home and then returned him to the pet store the next day.

“This bird doesn’t talk” she told the owner. “Does he have a mirror?” asked the owner. “Parrots love mirrors. They see themselves and start up a conversation”. So the woman bought the mirror.

Next day she returned. The bird still wasn’t talking. “How about a ladder? Parrots love a ladder”.

Sure enough, she was back the next day; the bird still wasn’t talking.

“Does your parrot have a swing? If not, that’s the problem. He’ll relax and talk up a storm”. The woman reluctantly bought a swing and left.

When she walked into the store the next day her countenance had changed. “The parrot died”. She said.

The pet store owner was shocked. “I’m so sorry. Tell me, did he ever say a word”? he asked.

“Yes, right before he died”, the woman replied. “He said, Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?”.

The moral of this story is: You can give your people mirrors, emphasising appearance; ladders, emphasising career success; swings emphasising entertainment but you could be starving them to death by not feeding their spirit and sense of pride and value in themselves, their team and in what the organisation stands for.

Stop the superficial stuff that doesn’t work. Learn how to ignite the real passions in your people so that they become unstoppable!