Situation 3

There was a farmer who grew superior quality and award winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honor and prizes. Once when asked to share secret of his good quality corn he humbly revealed that he shared his corn with his neighbors.

"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" feeling surprised, somebody asked him.

"Didn't you know, the wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field? If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, ii must help my neighbors grow good corn," responded the farmer.


Think for a while - The farmer knew his corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves. The farmer knew taht success doesn't occur in isolation.


Think for a while -  Do we guard our knowledge and expertise closely thinking that indispensability can ensure our success? Can we too be more participative by exchanging information, knowledge and skills, thereby enabling collective development?

Situation 2

A stone-cutter was hammering at a big piece of rock. He was hammering one blow after another. Every blow hoped to break the rock before landing on it successfully. finally it was the hundredth blow that succeeded in breaking the rocks in parts. Swollen with pride, the hundredth blow behaved pompously about being the mightiest blow, leaving the earlier attempted blows feeling dejected.


Think for a while -  Did the rock break solely due to the force of hundredth blow? Did the hundredth blow deserve all the credit for cracking the rock?


Think for a while - Do we bestow credit on only those who apparently succeed, ignoring all those who have attempted earlier without making it to the final? Do we recognize that it is not just the last blow that does it but all the efforts that have gone before have equal contributions?

Situation 1

Resentment was piling up inside the rear wheel of a bicycle. It had begun to realize that though it did all the hard work of pushing the bicycle ahead it was prerogative of the front wheel to decide the direction of the movement. Burning with frustration, one day, while moving on a road, it finally detached itself from the front-wheel assembly, the front wheel stood still on the road. It could see the road ahead but could not move an inch. The rear wheel, on the other hand, moved on happily. After going a little distance the road took a turn....but the rear wheel could not...straight it landed into a pit.



Think for a while -  The rear wheel was indeed doing the hard work of pushing the bicycle ahead but it could not reach the desired destination in the absence of directions from the front wheel. The front wheel could see the path but could not move without the support of the rear wheel.

Think for a while -  It is for the leader of a team to decide the course of direction for the team and it is for the team to execute the plans into action. Can the two achieve their goal without each other?