Leadership Lessons from The Wizard of Oz
Guest Blog post by Kevin Fickenscher
Author-Toto’s Reflections: The Leadership Lessons from The Wizard of Oz
Stories are a very powerful source of
metaphors for commentary on life.
Leadership represents an area where there is a plethora of material –
some useful and much forgotten – with too few stories. The
confluence of a story that is beloved by all and filled with poignant observations
on leadership lessons from which we could all benefit is embodied in The Wizard of Oz.
In particular, I've always been struck
by the power of little Toto who – aside from Dorothy – is the only other character
in the story who is literally present throughout the entire journey from
beginning to end. More importantly, he
was an observer. He listened. He allowed – even encouraged – those around him
to be active leaders at various points in the story. Toto exemplified the very best in leadership. In fact, he was a leader’s leader!
In writing Toto’s Reflections: The Leadership Lessons from The Wizard of Oz my
intent was to capture the essential elements of leadership from the story so
that leaders everywhere and at all levels can use it as a metaphor for “making
a difference”. The leadership lessons
start with On Why and the admonition that, “If you don’t pursue your dreams, you’ll
never get there…” Dorothy clearly
had a dream – to get back home to Kansas.
It was her focus throughout the story of Oz. It was powerful and compelling. Vision serves as the beginning point for
effective leadership because it mobilizes the people around you by offering a compelling
direction on where you want to go. Vision
is the why. What is your “getting back
to Kansas” vision?
But, the lessons from The Wizard of Oz do not stop there. In every new venture, in every turnaround, in
every initiative; there comes a point where the leader and the followers need
to take a “leap”. Toto was taught very
early on as a young pup to embrace the
world and have no fear. So, when he
saw the opportunity he took the leap from the basket on the back of Ms.
Gulch’s bicycle. Toto recognized that leadership
is more than rhetoric. It is a cause of
action and if we fail to take a leap at the right moment as a leader what can
we expect from followers?
The Munchkins as a support team had their own set of
leadership lessons to offer us. Lead
characters without a support cast can very easily go off in the wrong
direction. That’s the lesson of the
Munchkins! Their contribution was
subtle. First, they only appeared after
it seemed to be safe. But, when they did
appear, they helped Dorothy and the team get on the right road toward the Emerald
City – the Yellow Brick Road. Without
their guidance, without their involvement, without their energy – Dorothy and
the team could have just as easily gone down the wrong road.
The many characters from Oz provide
other compelling leadership lessons as well.
The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and The Lion offer obvious lessons. The Scarecrow starts by showing us that we need
to think! He’s clear: leadership is not about brains, but rather thought that comes from
reflection within the soul. Leaders
need to listen to themselves, to one another and to their followers to gain an understanding
of the situation and effectively step up to the plate with perspective and
guidance that provides real solutions.
Then, there’s the next obvious lesson
from The Tin Man – On Heart. Leaders need to show their heart to the
people they want to be following them. While data and analysis are often crucial
elements in making the right decisions, results are often derived from relationships
that come by sharing our heart!
Rounding out the top list of
leadership lessons from Oz are The Lion’s
considerations of courage – an attribute every leader aspires to
convey but, few impart. True courage comes when we are able to convey our
commitments by igniting the souls of followers by encouraging them to embrace a sense
of higher purpose or belief conveyed by leaders because they share their
courage openly.
These
are the obvious, up front lessons from The
Wizard of Oz. There are also leadership lessons on collaboration where
working together is stronger than working alone; on trust which is built
through our genuine, vulnerable and open relationship with followers;and, on focus which
allows us to lean into our fears by stepping out of our comfort zone – an
attribute that leadership frequently requires.
But,
the most compelling lesson from the story is persistence! Leaders need to be prepared in their leadership journeys
to respond to all of the challenges with a sense of humility if they are to be
successful in capturing the leadership Lessons
from The Wizard of Oz. Persistence
in the face of obstacles – which will inevitably accumulate on the horizons of
our life – is one of the most difficult, yet important, lessons of leadership. Persistence is the epicenter and the fulcrum
of this simple but powerful list of lessons captured from The Wizard of Oz.
We should keep the
lessons in front of us in the form of the story – which we all remember –so
that just in case a storm comes through during our leadership tenure, we’ll be
prepared to offer the right lessons. And,
in the end, the final lesson to learn from the story from the series of lessons
is that we as leader need to remember the importance of persistence in leading
change!
_________________
About the Author:
Kevin Fickenscher, MD, CPE, FACPE, FAAP, is author
of TOTO'S REFLECTIONS: The Leadership Lessons From The Wizard Of Oz, and
a dynamic, visionary healthcare leader with worldwide
experience. He serves as the President of the Healthcare Division
and Chief Medical Officer of AMC Health, Inc., and is the former President/CEO
of AMIA. He is consistently ranked among the Most Powerful Physician
Executives in the U.S.
Comments
Post a Comment