In a small farm yard there was a mother hen sitting on a nest of eggs. She was somewhat concerned, as one of the eggs was different from the rest. Being a good mother, however, she did not let her worry rule over her maternal instincts and nurtured all the eggs the same.
After a time, the eggs began to hatch and a cute fuzzy chick popped out of each. They were all peeping and yellow and cute as chicks could be. The different egg took several more days to hatch, but the mother hen split her duties between the new hatchlings and keeping the “odd” egg warm. In time, the egg hatched and the mother hen’s worst fears were realized. The “bird” that came out was very different indeed. It was brown not pastel yellow. Its feet were mis-shapen to the point that it had trouble walking like the other chicks. Its beak was bent over so far, it had great difficulty pecking for grain like the other straight beaked chicks .
The other chicks were constantly making fun of the “odd” chick as they all grew up. The “odd” chick had long gnarly toes with big black toe nails that bent under making it impossible for it to run around like the other chicks. Its eyes were big and bulged out which also gave the others much fodder for their teasing. Eating was torture trying to peck grain with a beak that was bent over almost like a fish hook. The mother was kind and loving to the “odd” chick, but could not always be there to stop the teasing and the ridicule of the immature peers. To make matters worse, as the others grew beautiful white feathers the odd chick’s feathers grew black and long and often dragged in the dirt.
The “odd” chick persisted, and kept trying to be like the others. After all, what is more important to a young chick than being accepted by your peers? So, in spite of all the failures and the ridicule, the “odd” chick kept trying to be a proper chicken. Alas, being so poorly equipped to do so, it never succeeded.
When it came time to fly, the ridicule, failure and frustration accelerated. One by one the young chicks flapped their wings furiously and left the ground to fly to their perches several feet above the ground. When the “odd” chick tried to flap its wings furiously it found that that was a real challenge. Its wings, you see had grown so long and gangly that it was impossible for it to get them flapping fast enough to get off the ground. The harder it tried the more ridicule came its way from the others. It kept trying, but like all of the other behaviors it tried to learn to be a normal chicken, this one was impossible for it to master as well. Every day it was separated more and more from the other chicks, in spite of its best efforts to be like them. The mother hen was distraught to the point that she often wondered if it this cruel trick of Mother Nature would be better off taken back by Mother Nature.
One day it seemed as if those idle thlughts might be realized.
Suddenly there was a clamor unlike any that had come before. All the chickens were running and flying to hide. “Why”, wondered the “odd” one? It is such a bright sunny day. The sun revealed the source of the terror. A dark, unmistakable shadow of a predator was circling the barnyard. Not only was it a predator, it was the most redoubtable of all, the great Bald Eagle. The “odd” chick was trying to run for cover like all of the rest. But now, being nearly fully grown, trying to run like a normal chicken was even harder. Flying like one…impossible. From the cover you could hear the others saying in hushed tones, “Maybe this act of nature was for the best”. That bird was just not supposed to be. It could never learn to be one of us; it should accept its fate.”
Of course none attempted to help, fearing for their own lives, as chickens are prone to do. As the shadow of the predator’s talons grew larger and closer to the “odd” chicken, it seemed as if, soon, it would never have to try so hard to be like the others, or to be accepted, or to avoid the ridicule by being a “nice” bird. It would never have to face the deep despair of yet another failed attempt at being something that Mother Nature clearly did not give it the equipment to be; nor the loneliness of being “odd” and being excluded so many times because of it. Maybe the others were right. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was time to quit.
Then, as if by divine intervention, the eagle stopped; as if suspended in time. It looked at the “odd” bird and made a large sweeping motion with its wings as if to say, try this. The “odd” bird seemed to know what the eagle meant, even though it was counter to what it had been taught; to try to fly by flapping your wings slowly. After all, everyone knows a chicken has to flap furiously to get off the ground. This, however, did not seem like the time to argue over technique. So the “odd” bird tried to just flap a long, slow, powerful, fluid flap of its wings and…. off it took. Another such flap had it high over the hen house. Higher than any chicken had flow before. One more such flap and the bird was soaring hundreds of feet above those that had made fun of it for its entire existence, and wished for its demise seconds before.
Yes, the “odd” bird was an eagle, the iconic symbol of strength, courage, beauty, freedom and power. It took just a little change in behavior to allow the chicken to soar to it’s rightful place in the sky.
Morals:
• Less is more (when flying high)
• Even a mighty eagle can be brought to its knees by trying to act like others with less potential.
• Knowing who you are is tantamount to success in life. Once you have the courage to accept that, soaring above your peers is nearly automatic.
Please come up with your own…. there are so many in the story.
and, as always,
Let us know what you think,
Curt
bring their File Box to your office and show you they are contacting your owners! Those that have CRM run the contact report and have available when they come to your office. Please do this before the end of September. This will set the stage that it will take an all out effort to hit marginal numbers the last quarter! Are they taking care of your money, or, are they hoping you will spend more and more and more while they sit idle!