Life is a Tray of Cherries
December 22nd, 2009
Dear Friends,
I snapped this shot at a farmer’s market in Italy. The definitive way the fruit had been laid out was very appealing to me. Yet as I watched, nobody wanted to disturb the pattern by purchasing any! It seems the vendor had created a work of art better to be “beheld,” than “be-purchased.” I remember learning in my early marketing days that exhibits that looked too perfect or untouchable might inspire oohs and aahs, but in their perfection would keep people from actually handling the product. I also remember learning that one of the impressionists who made his living by artistic commissions would often commit a small, deliberate error somewhere in the picture, so that the patron could point it out and correct it, thereby making it his or her own.
Leadership is not about perfection viewed from afar, but about participation by and with real people.
Sometimes that can get messy. But then, everyone gets to enjoy it, and feel a part of it, in the end.
Blessings as you lead this week,
Laurie Beth
Leadership and Perfection
