“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” (Dr. Seuss)
A lighthouse keeper received a new supply of oil once a month to keep the light burning.
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Not being far from shore, he had frequent guests.
One night a woman from the village begged for some oil to keep her family warm.
Another time, a father asked for some to use in his lamp.
Another needed some to lubricate a wheel.
All the requests seemed legitimate so the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone.
Toward the end of the month, the supply of oil soon was gone and the light went out.
That night several ships wrecked and lives were lost.
When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant.To his excuses and pleading their reply was simply, “You were given one job—keep that light burning!”
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell once said, “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity”.
Just about every decision that we make will either complicate or simplify our life. The people that we come in contact with oftentimes demand that we give into their requests.
Unfortunately, we will not always be able to please everyone. In fact, if we try to please everyone, we may end up creating more problems than we had to begin with.
A good leader has a solid foundation and relies on that foundation to make decisions. If you desire to be a true leader or are currently in a leadership position, then you will have to make difficult decisions.
Too many leaders end up being like tumbleweeds or kites – whichever way the wind blows is the way that they go. They are scared to lose a job or that people won’t like them. They don’t rely on a solid foundation
If you want to please everyone then you should probably just go and start selling ice cream.