Ballet vs. Hockey Game
My mentor Harry, Former Chairman of the Board, once called me in his office, " Elizabeth, do you like ballet?"
"Of course, I love ballet!"
" How about hockey games?"
" I only watched a few times, but they seem quite exciting."
" Running business is like directing a ballet. You have planned the story line, plot and actions. You direct the show day in and day out, always making it perfect so everything seems smooth and effortless. As the director of the show, you give directions to your dancers. More importantly you provide the stage for them to perform, mentoring and coaching them to their highest potential. This is the highest level of leadership. Hockey games are surely exciting. You chase after the puck. The puck is flying everywhere. The team is reacting as quickly as possible with many random actions… that is a game, not a business. If you want to build a profitable business, you have to plan, direct, coach and mentor your people. Develop them into stars and provide the stage for them to perform to their fullest potential."
It has been four years; I still remember his analogy of deep understanding about a high performance operation, and I tried my best to direct ballet sometimes even in the middle of the Hockey game.
"Of course, I love ballet!"
" How about hockey games?"
" I only watched a few times, but they seem quite exciting."
" Running business is like directing a ballet. You have planned the story line, plot and actions. You direct the show day in and day out, always making it perfect so everything seems smooth and effortless. As the director of the show, you give directions to your dancers. More importantly you provide the stage for them to perform, mentoring and coaching them to their highest potential. This is the highest level of leadership. Hockey games are surely exciting. You chase after the puck. The puck is flying everywhere. The team is reacting as quickly as possible with many random actions… that is a game, not a business. If you want to build a profitable business, you have to plan, direct, coach and mentor your people. Develop them into stars and provide the stage for them to perform to their fullest potential."
It has been four years; I still remember his analogy of deep understanding about a high performance operation, and I tried my best to direct ballet sometimes even in the middle of the Hockey game.
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