2 Stories Of George Washington And The Power Of Humility
Power and success can impress certain people.
But there is something even more impressive to all people: humility.
As you lead in your small business consider these two stories of George Washington to inspire you to lead with humility.
Image from Wikipedia
The Heavy Log
Once upon a time a rider came across a few soldiers who were trying to move a heavy log of wood without success.
The corporal was standing by just watching as the men struggled.
The rider couldn’t believe it. He finally asked the corporal why he wasn’t helping.
The corporal replied: “I am the corporal. I give orders.“
The rider said nothing in response. Instead he dismounted his horse. He went up and stood by the soldiers and as they tried to lift the wood and he helped them.
With his help, the task was finally able to be carried out.
Who was this kind rider?
The rider was George Washington, the Commander-in-chief.
He quietly mounted his horse and went to the corporal and said, “The next time your men need help, send for the commander-in-chief.”
The Broken Wall
Once George Washington was riding near Washington city with a group of friends and they came to a place where they had to leap over a wall.
In the process one horse knocked off a number of the stones from the wall.
Washington said, “We better replace them.”
His friends told, “Oh, let the farmer do it.”
But Washington didn’t feel right about that.
When the riding party was over, he went back the way they came.
He found the wall and dismounted. Then he carefully replaced each of the stones.
His riding companion saw what he did and said, “You’re too big to do that.”
His only response was, “On the contrary, I am the right size.”
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Humility is about being modest, respectful and putting others before yourself. It is not calling attention to yourself or being rude. It is about gratitude and attitude. It is about good sportsmanship.
Humility is not just for the ball field, it is something to apply to every aspect of your life. It is about being courteous and saying “please” and “thank you” all the time, not occasionally. It is about being able to apologize to others even if you are just slightly in the wrong. It is also about listening and open to learning from others. Being humble is recognizing that everyone has different strengths and paying complements to other people.
Humility is one of the most important things that everyone need to develop. Being humble makes you a better person, a better student and a better teammate. The humble who inherit the world.