Good leadership always makes a difference. It can turn organizations around and positively impact the lives of those under your span of control. Leadership is not easy to learn. Being a better leader pays dividends, but it takes effort.
From the book Leadership Gold by John Maxell, he discusses why leaders “Don’t Send Your Ducks to Eagle School.” Below are three reasons why you should not try to turn ducks into eagles:
1. If you send ducks to eagle school, you will frustrate the ducks.
Leadership is placing people in the right place so they can be successful. As a leader, you need to know and value your people for who they are and let them work according to their strengths. There’s nothing wrong with ducks. Just don’t ask them to soar or hunt from a high altitude. It’s not what they do.
2. If you send ducks to eagle school, you will frustrate the eagles.
Eagles don’t want to live in a barnyard or swim in a pond. People who are used to moving fast and flying high are easily frustrated by people who want to hold them back.
3. If you send ducks to eagle school, you will frustrate yourself.
As a leader, your job is to help your ducks to become better ducks and your eagles better eagles — to put individuals in their right places and help them reach their potential. You shouldn’t ask people to grow in areas where they have no natural talent. Natural ability is not a choice. It’s a gift.
It’s very important for a leader to get the right people in the organization and put them in the right positions. There are few things that a leader does that are more important than this.
