A story is told that one day as Elimelech of Lizhensk, a great rabbi in the 18th century, was riding in a carriage, he noticed a throng of people following.
He asked his coachman, “Why are all the people trailing behind?”
The coachman explained that the people wanted to follow after wisdom and holiness.
Elimelech decided that this was a good idea — the people were doing the right thing.
So he got out and joined the people following the empty carriage.
Leadership lessons for today:
- It’s not about YOU. Don’t confuse yourself with the carriage, the vehicle. You an instrument, not the source.When we forget this and think we are the center of the universe, our ego takes over and we lose our focus, our priorities and our full strength.
- Great leaders do not hold themselves separate from the people they lead. They truly respect and care about them, not just from a distance.Joining the people means connecting with others as fellow human beings and knowing you are no more important than the people who follow you.
- Great leaders follow. They draw their understanding of what’s happening and what’s needed from the people who follow them.
Leadership is a dance, not a parade!
Jesse,
Without doubt we need more leaders humbled to get behind their people to reach full strength.
I love the directness and simplicity in your message.
Shawn
Thanks, Shawn. Sometimes less is more. Glad it worked for you.
Dear Jesse,
This is said so delicately simple. There is a lot of truth in your words. Also, I think it is a good thing if people use their ego. Where would we be without our ego? Our ego is a part of us that can’t be disconnected from us. It is the way we handle our ego that counts.
Caroline
Hi Caroline,
I’m so glad you appreciated the message of my post. I agree with what you say about the ego – it is part of what we are. We just get into trouble when think it is all of what we are.
Regards from across the pond.
Jesse
Dear Jesse
This is a Great Story.
Lesson Learned
Best regards
Jassim
Thank you, Jassim!
Jesse – many people get this little lesson confused! Good referesher message!
Hi Dorothy, Delighted to see you here. Yes, it’s a little lesson that most of us need to keep learning over and over again.
Thanks Jesse for sharing this great lesson ..
So glad you found it helpful, Aisha!
Jesse,
Loved the story; loved the lesson. You made it so easy to explain. I’ll be saving this post in Evernote so I can share it with my team. Thank you.
Connie
Thank you, Connie – for sharing this with your team and for letting me know.
Jesse,
My favorite line you wrote: “You an instrument, not the source.”
Wow, that’s just SO true, and so hard for all of us to consistently remember and discern.
Thank you for all of these excellent reminders!! You are spot on, and we’re blessed to be in community and to be able to learn from you!!
Thanks,
Erin
Hi Erin, I wrote this particular post, not just to share with others, but also to remind myself of what’s most important. I’ve enjoyed your writing and your comments mean a lot. I am honored and deeply touched.
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
What a great story and I love the way how you drew these timeless lessons on leadership from them. Wonderful reminder that we don’t need to complicate the concept of leadership to understand what’s truly involved in serving in this role.
I agree, Tanveer. When we get to the essence, it’s amazingly simple, indeed! Thanks for your thoughts and kind words.
Jesse, great post. It is a great reminder indeed. The less these larger than life CEO’s get idolised and made to look great, the more leaders will start seeing the strength in this approach of humility.
Great point, Thabo. To some extent we contribute to making the larger than life CEOs by idolising them. We also need to remember we’re following the message and the wisdom, and not blindly just the person. By getting out of the carriage, and joining the people, Rabbi Elimelech was reminding the people what was important to follow was the message and the wisdom, not him per se.
All I have to say to this great post is:
Ab-so-lutely.
Well written, Jess. Leaders sometimes (many times?) get enamored with how great of leader they are, how important they are – when in reality, they should be humbled by the fact that others are looking to them to be a leader.
Hi Gregg, Your point is well taken. It’s especially easy to get enamored with oneself the higher you rise in an organization. Thanks for your thoughts and kind words.
Jesse,
Love this post, made me smile. Humble leaders are rare, and leadership like this is never as easy as it sounds. It is so important to communicate, and to communicate in a two way format. Hard to do from up in that carriage. Just remember that it is still you that is leading, and it is your direction that is being followed, not the coachman, balance is essential.
So true, Simon. Delighted to see you here. Thanks for you insightful comments and adding to the conversation.
Thank you so much Jesse. Great post and a message I need delivered to my own doorstep daily. May you be richly blessed this week.
Thank you so much Garry. Warm wishes to you!