Mary Had A Little Lamb

Don’t be embarrassed. Your 1st thought after reading that title was the same as nearly everyone’s first thought after reading that title……which, in fact, is why I titled it the way I did.

We all remember that great nursery rhyme don’t we? In fact, my 3 year old is now old enough to recite it, and my 5 year old is getting close to being able to read it. Will you join us?

“Mary had a little lamb (little lamb, little lamb).”

“Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.”

“And everywhere that Mary went (Mary went, Mary went).”

“And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.”

I love that nursery rhyme. It reminds me a lot about leadership. See, to be a leader, you need at least one follower. You can’t really be “classified” as a leader until you have someone that is willing to follow you: Someone that “buys in” to your vision; your plan; your beliefs; your cause; your direction. A person may call themselves a leader because of the way they speak or act, but only when they have someone who is willing to follow them, can they truly be a leader.

Mary was a leader. She had a lamb that followed her everywhere she went. Now, you may be thinking “It was an animal, for crying out loud!” I challenge you with “So, what?!” Don’t we observe many “Mary’s” and many “Lambs” every single day? Mary had a plan; a vision; a direction she was heading, and she was able to get that lamb to buy in to her plan. That lamb was a follower. Mary was a leader.

What are you doing to attract “lambs”? How are you ensuring that you are truly being a leader, and not just calling yourself a leader? Are you able to effectively convince others to believe in your vision; plan; mission; etc? These are all questions to ponder as you continue to build your leadership knowledge. “Am I being a ‘Mary’ today?”

note: picture courtesy of http://www.nurseryrhymesonline.com/mary_had_a_little_lamb-2395.php