Do you remember hearing stories as a child and still recall the moral they portrayed – even to this day in adulthood? I do.
My dad used to tell me a thrilling bed-time story about a man who owned a very squeaky, problematic windmill. The man, not being very mechanically inclined, asked repair advice and help from all sorts of people, but with little luck. Finally in frustration and haste, he climbed to the top of the windmill to perform the much needed repairs himself; but in a short instant he accidentally found himself perilously caught up and whirled around in the massive windmill fan. As a child, I could envision the whole terrifying scene being described. However, each time my dad told the story, he would assure me the story could have a happy ending with a neighboring farmer rushing to the man’s aid with a wagon load of loose hay to eventually fall into.
Almost a half-century has passed since I first heard dad tell this tale, but I remember it well. That story was probably the greatest gift he ever gave me. I think of it each time I drive past an old farm windmill beside the road. I think about it when I travel past a new wind farm with the new style windmill / wind turbines. Whether new or old, the concepts and principles of windmill operation are essentially the same. The more I thought about windmills, the more I saw them as effective, visual metaphors about the various aspects of leadership. For example, a windmill needs drive; so does a leader. A windmill needs to have a great sense of direction to use it as an opportunity; so does a leader. We look up to see a windmill; a leader is a person who we should look up to as well. You get the idea.
One aspect of windmills should concern us. That aspect is that many of the old dependable windmills are falling into disrepair. Some who used to stand independent, tall, and proud have been taken down for one reason or another. We can ponder various questions: In a similar fashion, will today’s leaders be around tomorrow? Will someone be there to succeed them? What will tomorrow’s leaders look like and who will help to equip them?
To answer these concerning questions, there is hope. Using the lessons found within these windmills, we, at Randall Resources Int’l, have developed 15 Windmill Leadership™ Principles to provide leaders with fundamental, concrete examples to assist them in pursuing their leadership potential.
Through Randall Resources International, Kathleen and I have committed ourselves to the mission of “…challenging people and organizations to fully discover, understand, and actively pursue God’s unique calling for them and their individual roles as leaders.” We strive to build up leadership through a variety of means – presentations, coaching/consulting, and our product offerings.
Is your leadership as effective as it could be? Do you feel like the man in dad’s story— caught up and “spinning” out of control? Do your direction, drive, and focus require adjustment? If you don’t know, or you are not sure, take heart. There is hope. Contact us. We would love to come alongside to assist you and your organization to fully become what you are meant to be.