Day Six: Leaving a Legacy Good afternoon. I guess I don’t need to tell you that we’re about to wrap up this Wood Badge course and conclude our six-day study of leadership. You’re probably thinking that there isn’t much more that can be said about leadership, but there is one thing left that we want to share with you: “The Greatest Leadership Secret.” There are six clues ….

Clue 1: It’s a Palindrome - Sort Of Who knows what a palindrome is? … A palindrome is a word, phrase, line, or verse that reads the same backward as it does forward. For instance, the word EYE. That’s a palindrome. Can you think of others? How about these? …

GO HANG A SALAMI, I’M A LASAGNA HOG Palindromes MADAM MADAM, I’M ADAM RACECAR SENILE FELINES GO HANG A SALAMI, I’M A LASAGNA HOG an amusing clue, perhaps second clue ….

Clue 2: Lead From the Inside Out If you’ve seen this demonstration before, bear with me. Here’s a gallon jar … add bolders. Ask participants: Is the jar full? (Let the participants answer. The likely answer is “yes.”) Really? Now I add gravel to the jar and given it a good shake. Is the jar full? (Let the participants answer. The likely answer is “probably not.”) Good answer. What if I had added sand until it came up to the top of the jar? Is the jar full? (Let the participants answer. They will probably say “no.”)Now you are getting the hang of it. What if I were to take a pitcher of water and pour water in until it ran out of the jar? Now, is the jar full? OK, what is the point of this exercise? And what is the clue here about the Greatest Leadership Secret? (Let the participants answer. Possible answers might be: “No matter how full you are, you can always eat a little more.” “No matter how full your schedule, you can always do more.”) Those are all good thoughts, but they’re not my point. What this exercise teaches us is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the big rocks in your life? Food? Security? Good health? Time with your loved ones? Your faith? Education? Your dreams? The best leaders lead from the inside out. Lead yourself first before you lead others. Accept responsibility for your own growth and progress—your own rocks—and take care of them first. Realize, too, that after you have taken care of your big rocks, there will still be room for more. There will still be space in your life for you to lead and serve others. And you’ll be better at leading others because you’ve practiced leading yourself first. Third clue …

Clue 3: Great Leaders are Great Teachers. You’ve experienced some profound teachers in your life, and not all of them in a classroom. I’d like to illustrate this with several video clips. The first is of a leader-teacher in his very first day on the job. And as you’ll see, he hasn’t yet developed greatness.

Video Presentation 1996’s Mr Holland’s Opus