Life (and Leadership) Lessons From a Children's Book

One of my favorite books is The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It’s beautifully illustrated and brilliantly chock full of wisdom. In the story, a boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse share a series of heartfelt and profound conversations about the meaning of life, universal truths and friendship. The book explores our innermost feelings with delicate sensitivity and candor.

?The author explains that, “All four characters represent different parts of the same person - the inquisitive boy, the mole who’s enthusiastic but a bit greedy, the fox who’s been hurt so is withdrawn from life, slow to trust but wants to be part of things, and the horse who’s the wisest bit, the deepest part of you, the soul.”

?Even though it’s classified as a children’s story, I feel like it can be applied to the business world on so many levels. Here are a few of the questions and statements that I find particularly meaningful.?

?“What do you think success is?” With 8 billion people on the planet, you’re going to get 8 billion different responses. I think success depends on a boatload of variables. I believe each person’s definition of success will change many, many times over the course of our lives. Your personal success may (or may not) be different than your professional success. What’s important to keep in mind is that at the end of the day, you’re the only one able to determine and measure your success.

?“Do you have a favorite saying?” The mole responds, “If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake.” In many ways, I feel like I’m most like the mole because I do really, really like cake! My favorite saying is, “You got this.” It can apply to any number of situations and honestly has given me the motivation to do a lot of things I may not otherwise have endeavored to take on.

?“One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things.” This is so true! How we react to things, tells others a lot about who we are as a person. I’m embarrassed to say that there are times when I wish I had reacted differently to stressful situations. The older I get, the more I understand this concept and I’m getting better at “rolling with the punches.”

?“Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses.” This is one I still struggle with. ?Enough said.

?“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” “Help,” said the horse. I love this because oftentimes we don’t ask for help enough. Being brave is all about one's attitude and it also comes with time, experience, and some motivation. A few brave things that I’ve said include, “I’m sorry” “You were right” and “No.”

?"When have you been at your strongest?” This is a tough question. Sometimes we’re at our strongest when we don’t feel that way. Other times we have to be our strongest when others are at their weakest point. Strength comes from within. We all have it. We just have to know when and how to use it.

?As a leader, these questions and statements hold a lot of weight for me. I want to be the best leader I can be for my team. I know that I’m not perfect and thankfully I have an amazing team that acknowledges and accepts my imperfections. A leader’s greatest source of credibility is, ironically, their vulnerability.

?Through Employer Solutions , we help employees tackle many of the above concepts and develop individuals for leadership roles with thought-provoking training courses and coaching. Feel free to email me at [email protected] for a free consultation to see how we might be able to best help your team. ?