The story is told of an old hermit monk who was working in the fields, As he was doing so he came across a remarkable, precious stone that was obviously worth a great deal of money. He took it back to his simple hut, thrilled at his find and excited at the possibilities it presented him with.

Later that day, a weary traveller happened on by and as was his custom the monk offered him hospitality in his simple dwelling. As he was preparing some food over the fire the traveller noticed the monk’s bag on the table and caught sight of the wonderful, precious stone contained within. Over the meal the traveller asked about the stone and the monk took it out of the bag and showed it to him. Such was the beauty of the stone and its obvious value, that the visitor couldn’t help himself and asked the monk if he could have it as a gift. The monk reflected for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and replied ‘Sure, why not’ he said, ‘you are very welcome’.

The traveller thanked him and left hastily with his new prize possession lest the monk change his mind. A few weeks went by and the monk carried on his normal peaceful and simple life. Then one day he heard his name being called and when he looked up saw the same traveller walking towards him. He welcomed him warmly and enquired as to the reason for his visit. ‘I have come to return your stone to you’ he said as he placed the stone back in the monk’s hands, ‘for I am after something far more valuable from you’. The monk was somewhat taken aback as he couldn’t think of anything he owned that would be of more value. But then the traveller continued, ‘I want whatever it is within you that enabled you to give me the stone without hesitation when I asked you for it’.

This brief story has some powerful lessons for us as leaders as we begin a new year.

None of us who have followed the events can have avoided being moved and disturbed by the tragedy that has taken place in Asia over the last few days. My words are utterly inadequate to provide any kind of commentary on it or describe the horror that has occurred. The best we can do is to provide any support we can and to assure those affected of our thoughts and prayers.

However, as I reflected on some of the commentary that has been given by the media, it did raise a challenging issue of leadership. Much has been said in the last few days about the slowness of response by some governments who initially seemed inert in reacting. I often dismiss such comments as shallow cynicism, for which of us would really know what to do in the face of such a calamity? Yet the phrase ‘leapfrogging’ began to be used to describe the phenomenon that has taken place in relation to the financial aid being given. A few commentators noted that governments have been embarrassed into responding more generously as they have witnessed the response of the general population. A ‘leapfrogging’ process had begun to occur as each new benchmark of public generosity seemed to force governments to respond in kind.

As I thought about this it occurred to me that this is something of a damning indictment on leaders that all of us should hope doesn’t ever occur within our own leadership sphere. We should strive to ensure we are never faced with the need to ‘leapfrog’ our people when it comes to our generosity of spirit.

Those, like the monk, who choose the path of generosity, are always at risk of being taken advantage of. They risk loss, hurt, disappointment and that awful feeling of being ‘used’. However, one of the marks of many of those who have made the greatest impact upon our world and probably our individual lives is a spirit of generosity. Too often in the corporate world ‘leapfrogging’ has become a leadership principle – ‘Oh well, if we have to’ is the frustrated utterance of an exec who has similarly been embarrassed into responding with token generosity because of the example of those further down the food chain. Surely we are better than that. We are a long way from being monks, but like him, our generosity will often return to us in a way that powerfully enriches our own life and the lives of others.

The second question the story raises for us is in relation to the aspirations and dreams of the traveller. He began with a vision that in truth was far too small. Short term, immediate return was his hoped for result, but having encountered the freedom of the monk’s generosity his sights were lifted and his vision grew.

Is it possible that this New Year could provide us with the opportunity to give ourselves permission to dream bigger dreams, to lift our sights above the mundane, the predictable, the short term (read quarterly results) and that awful non-goal of what is ‘reasonable’? In these days of bland benchmarking and best practice the truly exceptional and distinct are those who have the courage to step out from the crowd and dare to not just dream but act upon their dreams.

Emily Pankhurst had no ‘best practice’ to measure her passion for equal rights for women; Martin Luther King had no benchmark to inform his dream of racial equality; people derided Branson when an ex DJ decided to start an airline; many laughed and called Gates insane when he articulated his vision to have a PC on every desk. Nobody’s laughing now.

The open handed generosity of the monk gave the traveller permission to dream bigger dreams. Every significant venture, be it commercial or social, began with such a dream. May 2005 be a year when we choose to be ‘bigger’ leaders – more generous in spirit, more courage in our dreams.

‘Some dream at night of changing the world, others stay awake and do it’.

Phil Wall
CEO