Chaos at the Bus Stop

So, I was taking the boys to the bus stop (our dog usually goes with us on a leash, he gets to see his neighbor dog friends and get sniffs in), when my oldest son does not realize our dog, Dash, is not on the leash and opens the door and of course the dog bolts out the door. Now, our dog is very well behaved . . . but his favourite time of day is the walk to the bus stop to see his friends and obviously knows the way, so we are running after him (actually, this might be a good ploy when the boys are being late, because they usually take their time to get to the bus stop, hoping they will miss it). Well, the dog makes it to the bus stop and causing all the other dogs to want to be off their leash, barking, pulling at their owners, some kids scared of dogs are screaming, mothers are in a range of attire from work clothes to workout clothes to pajamas (dont ask), they are spilling their coffee on themselves . . . oh my . . . guess I am the newbie on the block for taking kids to the bus stop . . . anyway, my sons are chasing the Dash around, and Dash continues to run away . . . finally, I tell them to stop chasing him and I call for Dash, he comes, I pretend I have a bone in my hand and say "sit" (he is a good sitter), and then I am able to grab him and stop the chaos, but the looks dont stop . . .

This story reminds me of an Aesop Fable . . .

The North Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful, and agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes.

The North Wind first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around him, until at last, resigning all hope of victory, the Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could do.

The Sun suddenly shone out with all his warmth. The Traveler no sooner felt his genial rays than he took off one garment after another, and at last, fairly overcome with heat, undressed and bathed in a stream that lay in his path

Moral: Persuasion is better than Force


Which brings me to the point of the post, as a leader you have people reporting to you by definition, and they will do what you tell them to do . . but you will get much better results if you get their buy-in to the action that is needed, i.e., demonstrate why this is a good thing, versus just being told to do something . . . all will be better and will have less resistance. Now, there is probably someone trying to relate the fake bone in my hand to teasing rewards to accomplish something . . . do the job, and then end up with nothing in the end . . . . well, I did not mean that . . . oh, by the way, as soon as I got home, I gave Dash a bone!