When it comes to leadership or parenting, we can learn a lot from a duck. A few years ago I was out walking during my lunch break. As I was walking back to the office, I noticed a mother duck and her chicks walking across the parking lot. I could see the duck and her chicks were headed for the curb, and I just had to stop and watch how the entourage would get over that barrier.
Of course, the mother duck jumped right up on the curb, and immediately turned and looked back at her precious brood. They were in a panic. Their mama was on top of the curb and they couldn’t get to her. I thought she would help them. She didn’t. Instead, she just looked at them. One by one, each chick tried to jump up on the curb. A couple made it while others failed and came crashing to the ground. I was concerned that the chicks were going to break a wing, and I was tempted just for a moment to interfere, but I held back. My patience was rewarded. After much trial and error, all the chicks made it up on the curb unharmed. I’ll bet the next curb was easier.
What we can learn from a duck is the priceless lesson of failed effort. Before we get good at something, we usually start out bad.
Smart leaders know that in order to grow their businesses, they need to delegate. To be effective at delegation, we have to be in there with our people and give them a chance to struggle. As the old saying goes, “Skilled sailors weren’t made by calm seas”. Be a good mother duck!
