Guest Road Dog

The Dog doesn't share this space with other's, but this is an exception. Written by a true Road Dog, this "parable" should be required reading for anyone in a leadership position. Susan Butcher, Four-time winner of the Iditarod sled race, as quoted in the book, "The Nature of Leadership":

"One spring day early in my career, I was taking my team on a trail that crossed a frozen river -- the same trail we had used almost daily all winter long. As we started across the river, my lead dog suddenly veered to the right. I gave her the command to go left and she went back for me, but then she immediately veered off to the right again. Several times I tried to get her back on the trail, and each time she responded the same way. I couldn't figure out what was happening. She had never disobeyed me before. Finally I went ahead and let her have the lead, and just as she pulled me and the team off to the side of the trail, the entire river collapsed ! Her sixth sense saved our lives."
"Since that time, I've learned a lot of leadership is about team work. I usually have about 10 leaders in a 15-dog team, and one of the leaders will let me know, "Hey, we're getting into a storm. This is not my bag. Can you get me out of the lead?" And another member of the team will tell me, "I love this stuff! Put me up there." They are constantly changing off the lead based on who is most adept to handle a particular problem."
"I own and run a business, and this has certainly helped me to know that when I am dealing with something that I may not be the best expert in, I can turn to my employees and let them take the lead. Success is a total team effort, and it sometimes takes letting go and trusting in the talents and instincts of those whose "paws are on the ice," so to speak."

This Road Dog parable to not only about teamwork and reminding us to listen to those front-line peope with their "paws on the ice".... but also to remind us that oftentimes, in order to find the best path we have to go off the path we are on, even for an instant.

That's risk-taking. That's trust. That's answering to yourself, in that instant these questions......
- What's the difference between being the sole voice in the crowd crying for change.. and the sole voice crying not to change?
- What makes the difference between right and wrong here?
- What makes one voice more correct than the other?
- What makes one person seeing something, different from another person not seeing something?

Such are the questions we are asked... and we have asked.
This is what makes leaders.
This is what breaks leaders.