“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…,” until you have to deal with the Christmas lights!
As we decorate each year, all of our Christmas lights are in one bin. Every year when we “undecorate” I take the lights, wrap them nicely, put them in a bin and close the lid. By the way, all bulbs of each string of lights are working…
Fast-forward eleven months and something has happened. Obviously, someone has gone in and tangled the strings together in knots, thus making many of the lights not work. I believe that the Gremlins have come back from the ’80s and are living in my attic. Anybody working with me? Have you Gremlins and lights not working too?
So, where is this going with regards to leadership? Let’s see if we can turn the lights on and make a connection…
When you plug the lights in, one of three things is going to happen. Every light lights up, some light up, or none light up — only those three options. What happens when you plug your leadership in? Let’s let the lights represent characteristics of our leadership.
Those same three ideas are present when you plug your leadership in; your characteristics either all work, some work, or none work. Only one of three is for the best. Have you ever notice when you buy a box of lights they give you a “few” extra bulbs (just in case one does not work)? You cannot replace every bulb.
The question to be asked with regards to your leadership is, “Are the lights working?” Not some, not a few, but all. Think of it this way… Do the “lights” of your leadership shine? What type of connection are you making? Are there a few “lights” that are not working well? A much bigger problem is when not a single “light” comes on.
In leadership, we must regularly check to see if our “lights” are working; even changing a few bulbs out along the way. Sometimes we might just have to throw the whole string away and start new; and you know what, that’s ok too. Leadership is about finding what works.
Now, about all those strings being tangled up? I am going to blame that on the Gremlins… Someone fed them after midnight…
©2018 J Clay Norton
Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!
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The Book Chamber 
Great analogy
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Thanks. You are my motivation.
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The same thing happens to my lights. Thanks for your insights.
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Thanks. Glad I’m not the only one.
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I too recently was working to hang Christmas a strand of lights and here is what I noticed…half of the lights were lit and half were not. I assumed that the bulb that followed the last lit bulb was the one causing the problem so I replaced it. Nothing happened. Now, my husband is the one I usually depend on to fix everything, but he wasn’t available. So, I ventured out to look at each light bulb. I decided to take a chance and replace the last bulb in the strand and instantly all of the other lights came on. Two take aways. 1. You’re never alone. Half the strand was waiting on that last bulb to do its part. 2. The lights were most effective as a decoration when they all were working. Have a fantastic Friday!
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Agree. It is amazing, if we look and think, we can find leadership everywhere. Even the most common events of life.
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