Set your Sail- Leadership Lesson from a Boatman

 Set your Sail- Leadership Lesson from a Boatman

In a small town which was surrounded by water, people use inland water transportation for their regular travel.

A young Manager was travelling in a boat, which was rowed by an old man. The Manager was taking some phone calls and sounded disturbed.

The old man said "You look too stressed"

The Manager said "Yes sir, workplaces are becoming complicated and people are becoming difficult to manage"

The old man smiled and said you are right; I heard the same from my Son too.

The old man asked, "If you don't mind, can I give you some ideas to reduce the stress?"

The Manager said " Sure, we still have a long way to go"

The old man said "Workplace is like this boat, market conditions are the water, passengers are the employee, Managers are the boat man and these oars represents Task and people"

The Manager said "It is a good Analogy, but where are the competitors"

The old man said "The other boat which is either sailing ahead of us or behind us"

The Manager muted his mobile and said, you can continue

The old man said "The boat should be in a sailable condition, regular maintenance and repairs should be done, similarly your organization should be reviewed and corrected.

The number of passengers in the boat should be balanced, avoid overloading, similarly the number of employees should be carefully selected, neither take too many on board nor operate with few.

The water and the weather should be studied before you set your sail, similarly the market should be studied regularly to plan your moves

One oar represents people and the other is the task, you should carefully handle both for giving a smooth sailing experience.

The manager said " You are right, I need to review my boat, study the weather, learn to use the oars effectively"

The old man smiled and said "do it regularly, you can reach your destination safely"

Old man slowly moved the boat towards the jetty and said "here is your destination"

The Manager pulled his wallet to pay the charges, the boat man received it with a smile and thanked the manager.

The Manager asked, "If you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"

The old man with a smile said " you can"

The Manager asked, "How did you come up with such an Analogy?"

The old man said "I was sailing in the same corporate waters like you before few years as a Senior Manager, I retired peacefully from that world & took the same oars which was used by my father to educate me in a reputed college. Every time I row this boat, I feel my father is talking to me, to experience the wisdom of my father, I decided to row this boat which is well maintained till date"

The Manager said "It was an enriching experience"

As a Leader we should be knowledgeable at one end and skillful at the other end, both the oars are there in our hands

 M.L. Narendra Kumar