You’re OK – I’m OK? Really? 
[dropcap style=”style3″]W[/dropcap]e think that in order to be who we want to be, we need to be something different that what we are. A young man had a clay statue, a family heirloom. He’d always wished that it were bright shiny gold instead of plain brown clay. When he began to earn a living , he put aside a little now and then, until he had enough for this special project: to have his statue covered with gold.
Now it looked just the way he wanted it to, and people admired it. He felt very proud that he had a gold statue. However, the gold-plating didn’t stick to the clay very well, and it wasn’t long before it began to flake off in spots. So he had it gold-plated again. Soon he found himself using all this time and resources to maintain the gold facade of this statue.
One day his grandfather returned from a journey of many years. The young man wanted to show him he had made a clay statue into a gold one. However, clay was showing through may spots, so he was somewhat embarrassed.
The old man smiled and held the statue lovingly. With a moist cloth he gently rubbed it and gradually dissolved some of the clay. “Many years ago, the statue had fallen in the mud and become covered with it. As a very young child, you wouldn’t have known the difference. You forgot, and thought it was just a clay statue. But look here.”
He showed his grandson the place where the clay was removed, and a bright yellow colour shone through. “Underneath the covering of clay, your statue has been solid gold from the beginning. You never needed to put more gold on to cover the clay. Now that you know what its nature really is, all you have to do is gently remove the clay and you’ll reveal the gold statue you’ve possessed all along.”
Although this story was excerpted from the book, Zen Golf – Mastering The Mental Game by Dr. Joseph Parent, I believe the story has direct application to us as leaders. There is basic goodness all around we just need to look for it.
Let’s ask ourselves the following questions:
1. What is presenting itself on my leadership journey as my clay statue?
2. Is there someone out there that can help me with my perspective and point of view?
3. Do I see the “real value” in my leadership challenges?
4. Am I prepared to see things below the surface?
5. Where am I investing my resources?
Wishing you a great week!
