BIG LEADERSHIP - Leaders, make time now to Pause, Reflect and Celebrate your Journey.

When I began my journey into storytelling and becoming a Certified Story Coach, this is the first story I focused on.

Attributed to Henry Miller, the writer, it is about a little boy in India who went up to a guru who was sitting and looking at something in his hand. The little boy went up and looked at it. He didn’t quite understand what it was, so he asked the guru,?"What is that?"

"It’s a cocoon,"?answered the guru,?"Inside the cocoon is a butterfly. Soon the cocoon is going to split, and the butterfly will come out."

"May I have it?"?asked the little boy.

"Yes,"?said the guru, "but you must promise me that you will only watch the cocoon, you will not touch it.”

The little boy promised, took the cocoon, and went home with it. He then sat and watched. He waited, and he watched. Then he noticed the cocoon begin to vibrate and move and quiver, and finally a tiny split appeared in the cocoon. The little boy watched as the cocoon continued to move, and the tiny split gradually increased little by little. The little boy desperately wanted to help. Finally, he couldn’t wait anymore, and he pushed the two halves of the cocoon apart.

The butterfly sprang out, and it fell to the ground and was dead.

The little boy picked up the dead butterfly and in tears went back to the guru and showed it to him.

"Little boy,"?said the guru,?“do you recall my instructions when I gave you the cocoon?”

"Yes,"?said the little boy,?"I do."

The guru spoke to him gravely,?“You heard what I said, yet you did not listen.”

“You did not understand. It is the struggle to get out of the cocoon that gives the butterfly the strength to fly.”

This story seems so relevant right now.

Take a moment to remind yourself of what you made it through over the last few years, what you learned on the way, and how you have grown.

Enjoy the festive season, celebrations, and holidays. Replenish. Evaluate. Celebrate. Be ready to activate in 2023.

Next year it’s all about Big Leadership.

Leaders with Big Vision, who make Bold Decisions, and take Brave Action to create the future.

I will continue to work with phenomenal leaders, who lead with heart.

And I can’t wait.

?

I’d love to know your thoughts.

Dr Stacey Ashley CSP is a leadership expert, a 8 time International Stevie award winning coach, international speaker and 5 time Amazon #1 bestselling author. She has been nominated for the Telstra Business & Women's Awards nine times, and in 2021 & 2018 was named in LinkedIn’s Top Voices.

Big Leadership. Leaders with big vision, who challenge the status quo, make bold decisions, and take brave action, create the future.

Our world needs Big Leadership.

She helps CEOs, COOs, C Suite, Executives, HRDs, P&C Leaders, and Transformation & Change Leaders?get?out of the trenches, to lead strategically and with influence.

She typically speaks at conferences, runs workshops, consults & coaches.

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Enquire about working with Stacey: ? [email protected]?or ? + 61 2 8006 1733.