The Leadership ‘Secret’ That Smart Leaders Have Known for a Century
Amazing wisdom from more than 100 years ago that you can use today
Source | www.entrepreneur.com | Shawn Doyle
In the early 1900s, a professional speaker traveled the nation giving one speech, and it was so popular, he ended up giving it 6,152 times by 1925. Keep in mind, this was in an era of no radio and no television. People would go to the theater to see a speaker as evening entertainment.
That forgotten speech was very critical to anyone in a leadership or a founder role because it holds within it the secret to great leadership. It is the one that many leaders overlook completely.
Who was this speaker, and what did he talk about? His name was Russell Conwell, and he was a famous orator — the term for speakers back then — of his day and ended up being the founder of Temple University. His speech was called Acres of Diamonds. In the speech, he told the fictional tale of a man who traveled the world in search of diamonds. The man never found diamonds but after he passed away, the new owner found a diamond mine on the property.
What is the secret everyone can learn from? The riches we are looking for are right in our own backyard. Here are some ideas for you if you are in a leadership role or the founder of a company to develop and polish the diamonds all around you.
Mine your talent.
I think the biggest asset you have is the underdeveloped potential of the people on your team. There are bright, talented, ambitious people who want to do well. They just need to be developed. You need to invest time, effort and resources into developing them. They are your acres of diamonds. As Conwell said, “True greatness is often unrecognized.”
