Full of Nothin’ But Hot Air

John Maxwell, a very well credentialed leadership speaker and author, once shared this with a gathering of his followers:

A man in a hot air balloon realized that he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The woman replied, “Well … you’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”

“You must be an engineer,” said the balloonist.

“I am,” replied the woman, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” said the balloonist, “everything you have told me is technically correct but I have no idea what to make of your information. And the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you have not been much help at all. If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”

The woman below responded, “You must be in management.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist. “But, how did you know?”

“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a LARGE quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep. And you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were before we met. But now somehow it’s my fault!”

Bazinga!! I love this woman. She’s tellin’ it like it is!

But seriously, this story is an amazing example of how an under prepared and under appreciative leader can cause employee disengagement at the speed of light. She told him the factual truth and he wasn’t prepared to handle it.

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!!”  ~Jack Nicholson

See, here’s the thing. One of the single greatest – and I do mean GREATEST – character traits that a leader must possess is humility. Asking for help, admitting a misstep, and relying on others are time-tested keys to success as a leader. Humility IS NOT a sign of weakness or frailty.

Allowing others to see that you are mortal is the right thing to do. You can and will make matters worse if you try and fake it and be an imposter.

Your expectation is that the folks around you should learn from their mistakes. That is what you coach them to do, isn’t it? How about trying it yourself and then sharing those learnings with those who work so hard for you? Permitting others to grow at the hands of your personal experiences is an amazing pathway to building trust.

Trust is a necessity to being successful through the work of others. How about you start today by acknowledging the strengths of those around you and the shortcomings that make you so incredibly unique? Give it a shot – I DARE YA!!