BE THE GRAVITY – IT NEVER HAS A BAD DAY

The credit should really be given to Sir Isaac Newton for it was he who coined the word ‘gravity,’ gave it a value of 9.8 m/s², and called it the gravitational constant G. He discovered that there is a specific force, which we call gravity that is required to change the speed or direction of something that is moving. This same force he figured must cause apples to fall from trees! After researching this hypothesis he wrote the law of gravity. This law is a mathematical explanation for the way that things attract based on experiments and observations and to it we add – it never has a bad day…the explanation becomes simple if you metaphorically link yourself as the force that changes the pace and direction of something that is moving (your team). You then become the force of attraction that binds, and helps your team achieve greater results. True leadership is not the attention one draws, but the influence one exerts. The law of gravity (Newton hypothecated that it is a constant) bears testimony to the fact that this influence paves the way for things to take shape– the way a leader does to his team. It never has a bad day because it remains a force that motivates and in turn yields results.
A boy was visiting the mountains once, very young, with his father. It was during this trip that he got introduced to the concept of the ‘echo.’ Whatever was thrown to the mountains, it gave it back and resounded with it. Then the father explained: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more out of your team, create more for it in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; Life will give you back everything you have given to it." Be the gravity, it never has a bad day.
Life’s lessons for success come to us when we are fully prepared for it. A leader truly prepares his team for learning the lessons, gives direction, and then lets them surprise him with the results. An excerpt from ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho acts as an apt backdrop for this understanding. A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.
Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing, a small orchestra was playing, and there was a table covered with the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for 2 hours before it was his turn to be given the man’s attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have the time just then to explain the secret. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something, said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil in it. As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, all the while keeping his eye fixed on the two drops of oil. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.
“Well, asked the wise man, ‘did you see the Persian tapestries that are in the dining room. Did you see the garden that took the master gardener 10 years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in the library?”
The boy was embarrassed and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.
“Then go back and observe the marvels of the palace,” said the wise man.
Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon, returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all the works of art on the ceilings and walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains, the beauty of the flowers. Upon returning, he related everything with great élan to the wise man.
“But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?” asked the wise man.
Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy realized that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,’ said the wise man. ‘The secret of happiness and success is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon.’ The lesson we can derive out of this anecdote is that, this is what a true leader does – he inculcates in us the potential to observe the marvels around (work made fun) and yet excel in our 2 drops (excellence). A true leader is the gravity…a force that binds, incites energy, infuses enthusiasm…he never has a bad day!