"There's No Place Like Home"

    In my MBA classes at Concordia University Texas we just finished our first semester and it is good to have a few days off for our Christmas break.  In my class Leadership-self we looked at finding leadership lessons in everyday life and now I am hooked!
     My 13-year old daughter had never seen The Wizzard of Oz so we decided to watch it last Saturday night as a family.  Keep in mind that I have probably seen this movie 45 times in my 53 years on this earth, but this time I watched it looking for leadership lessons.  It was like watching it for the first time!  This movie is full of great examples of leadership and I would like to share a few of those with you today.

Teamwork
     When you look at the team Dorothy put together it is a great lesson in leadership.  Each member of her team had different reasons for getting to Oz.  The Scarecrow felt he needed a brain, the Tin Man wanted a heart, the Lion was searching for courage, and Dorothy just wanted to get home.  Many times as leaders we will face similar situations where individual members of our team will have different goals and motivations for serving, but we can use the individual talents of each member to achieve the goals of our organization.

Stay Focused
     As each member of Dorothy's team headed down the Yellow Brick Road they experienced many obstacles along the way.  They had trees trying to grab them, Poppies causing Dorothy to sleep,  Winged Monkeys stomping the stuffing out of the Scarecrow, and Lions, Tigers, and Bears frightening the Cowardly Lion.  Our teams will have all types of obstacles that get in our way when we are leaders, but it will be our job to remove them so the goals of the organization can be realized.

Join in the Fun
    It would have been easier for Dorothy to send her team down the Yellow Brick Road while she hung out with the Munchkins, but she was right there with them every step of the way.  The lesson we can learn here is our team needs us in the trenches with them.  Teams respect a leader who works with them and is not afraid to get their hands dirty.

     I'm sure there are many other lessons to be learned from this movie and when I watch it again I am going to look for them.  Actually, I will probably be doing this with any movie I watch from now on.

     As the grades are posted from our last semester I hope everyone got the one they were hoping for and they are able to relax a little during this short break we are getting.  I hope everyone has a great Christmas and is able to spend some quality time with friends and family.

     May God bless each of you.