101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life...
101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Table of Contents LIMIT O F LIABILITY A ND DISCLAI MER OF WARR ANTY .................... .................... ................. 8 A SPRINKL ING OF MAGIC ................ ..................... .................... ..................... .................... .............. 9 101 IN SPIRING QUOTES FOR BUSINESS A ND LIFE............ ..................... .................... ............... 10 ABOUT CLARE EDWARDS ..............................................................................................................11 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................12 ORIGINAL SOURCES, AUTHOR S AND ACKNO WLEDGEMEN TS............. .................... ............ 13 WHY 101? ............................................................................................................................................14 HORSES FOR COURSES .........................................................................................................................14 CATEGORISATION GUIDELINES...................................................................................................15 YOUR INPUT IS WELCOME ! .................... .................... ..................... ..................... .................... ............ 15 CATEGO RIES ............... ..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 16 101 STORIES .......................................................................................................................................18 1.
A CHANC E TO START OVER..... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 18 ATTITUDE, OBSTACLES
2.
AS OPPORTUNITIES ,
RESILIENCE .......................................................................18
BEAUTY TIPS BY AUDREY HEPBUR N ............... ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 18 ATTITUDE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , GRATITUDE , VALUES ................................................................18
3.
(THE) BLIND MEN & THE ELEPHAN T. ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 19 ADAPTING TO CHANGE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ...............................................................................19
4.
(THE) BOULDE R AND THE KING................ .................... ..................... .................... ............... 19 INITIATIVE , OBSTACLES AS OPPORTUNITIES .........................................................................................19
5.
BREWE RY & HORSES........... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... .................. 20 ADAPTING TO CHANGE, CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO, CULTURE.....................................................20
6.
BUILDI NG A CATHED RAL......... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 21 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , VISION .......................................................................................................21
7.
(THE) BUTCHE R’S CHICKEN ................ ................. ........................ .................... ..................... 21 INTEGRITY , VALUES.............................................................................................................................21
8.
(THE) BUTTERF LY ................ ..................... .................... ..................... ................. ..................... 21 EMPOWERMENT, FINDING THE GIFT IN THE CHALLENGE .......................................................................21
9.
(THE) CARPEN TER'S HOUSE.......................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 22 ATTITUDE, INTEGRITY , LIVING YOUR TRUTH ........................................................................................22
10.
CARRO TS, EGGS & COFFEE.......................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 22
ADAPTING TO CHANGE, OBSTACLES 11.
AS OPPORTUNITIES,
OPTIMISM ......................................................22
CATCHING A FLIGHT................ .................... ..................... ..................... .................... ......... 23
CLARITY OF COMMUNICATION, CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS, LATERAL THINKING........................23 12.
CHICKENS & WINDOWS .................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 24
CLARITY OF COMMUNICATION, CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS ........................................................24 13.
CIRCLE OF JOY.................................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 25
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life CULTURE, GRATITUDE, VALUES ..........................................................................................................25 14.
(THE) CLEANIN G LADY.................................. .................... ..................... .................... ......... 26
CULTURE, GRATITUDE, VALUES ..........................................................................................................26 15.
(THE) COLOU RS OF FRIENDS HIP ............... ..................... ..................... .................... ......... 26
EMBRACING D IVERSITY, TEAMWORK ...................................................................................................26 16.
CONSE QUENC ES OF SELF IMPOR TANCE................ ..................... .................... ............... 27
ATTITUDE, CLARITY OF COMMUNICATION, CULTURE ...........................................................................27 17.
(THE) CRACK ED POT................. ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 28
ACCEPTANCE, FINDING THE GIFT IN THE CHALLENGE ...........................................................................28 18.
(ON) DEALING WITH ABUSE.......... ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 29
ATTITUDE, CHOICE, RESILIENCE ..........................................................................................................29 19.
DIFFEREN CE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL.............................. .................... ............... 29
CULTURE, INNOVATION , LATERAL THINKING, TEAMWORK, VALUES .....................................................29 20.
DIFFEREN T DRUMM ERS.......................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 30
ACCEPTANCE, EMBRACING DIVERSITY , PERSONALITY TYPE .................................................................30 21.
DONKE Y IN THE WELL ................... ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 31
OBSTACLES AS OPPORTUNITIES, OPTIMISM , RESILIENCE .......................................................................31 22.
DON’T QUIT POEM... ........................ .................... ........................ ..................... ................. ... 31
PERSISTENCE , RESILIENCE ...................................................................................................................31 23.
DRAGON KILLERS ..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 32
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , LATERAL THINKING, LEADERSHIP , WISDOM................................................32 24.
EAGLE & THE CHICKEN................. ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 33
CHOICE, LEADERSHIP , LIVING 25.
YOUR TRUTH ,
TAKING RISKS .................................................................33
EXPERIEN CING THE REAL PROBLEM. .................... ..................... .................... ............... 33
ATTITUDE, CULTURE, INNOVATION , LATERAL THINKING ......................................................................33 26.
FEEDING TIME................... ..................... .................... ..................... ..................... ................. 34
ACCEPTANCE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES .............................................................................................34 27.
FEELINGS................................................................................................................................34
ACCEPTANCE, LIVING 28.
YOUR TRUTH .....................................................................................................34
FIVE MONKEY S..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 35
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO, CHOICE, CULTURE............................................................................35 29.
FLAT TYRE.. ............ ..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 36
INTEGRITY , VALUES ............................................................................................................................36 30.
FLIPPIN G OUT ON EGGS....................... .................... ..................... .................... .................. 37
AWARENESS, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , TRUST ...................................................................................37 31.
FRED AND MABEL...................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 37
CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS .......................................................................................................37 32.
FROG IN A MILK PAIL..................... ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 38
CHOICE, PERSISTENCE , RESILIENCE .....................................................................................................38 33.
GANDHI AND SUGAR ................. ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 38
INTEGRITY , LEADERSHIP , VALUES .......................................................................................................38
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 34.
GINGERN UTS AT THE AIRPOR T .................. .................... ..................... .................... ......... 38
CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS .......................................................................................................38 35.
(THE) GREAT AS IF.................. ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 39
COURAGE, LEADERSHIP , WISDOM ........................................................................................................39 36.
THE HISTO RY OF GUNPOW DER .................. .................... ..................... .................... ......... 40
INNOVATION .......................................................................................................................................40 37.
HOW TO POISO N YOUR MOTHER -IN-LAW ................ ..................... .................... ............ 40
ATTITUDE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , FORGIVENESS , PERSONALITY TYPE ............................................40 38.
(THE) HUNDR EDTH MONKEY.................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 41
ADAPTING TO CHANGE, CULTURE, VISION ...........................................................................................41 39.
I HAVE A DREAM..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 42
INSPIRATION , LEADERSHIP , LIVING YOUR TRUTH, VISION .....................................................................42 40.
IF .................... .................... ..................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 45
INTEGRITY , LEADERSHIP , RESILIENCE, VALUES ....................................................................................45 41.
INAUGU RAL ADDRESS SPEECH BY NELSON MANDELA............................. ................. 46
FORGIVENESS , LEADERSHIP , WISDOM ..................................................................................................46 42.
INVICTUS.................................................................................................................................48
ACCOUNTABILITY, CHOICE, COURAGE .................................................................................................48 43.
IT COULD N’T BE DONE....... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 48
ATTITUDE, OPTIMISM, PERSISTENCE , RESILIENCE .................................................................................48 44.
JUDGE GENTLY .................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 49
ACCEPTANCE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , INTEGRITY ...........................................................................49 45.
KNOWI NG WHERE TO TAP ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 50
LATERAL THINKING, WISDOM .............................................................................................................50 46.
LAW OF THE GARBA GE TRUCK .................. .................... ..................... .................... ......... 50
ATTITUDE, RESILIENCE, WISDOM .........................................................................................................50 47.
LESSON S ON TEAMWO RK FROM GEESE....................... ..................... .................... ......... 51
TEAMWORK, VALUES ..........................................................................................................................51 48.
LIGHTEN ING THE LOAD ................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 52
ADAPTING TO CHANGE, COURAGE, TAKING R ISKS, TEAMWORK, TRUST ................................................52 49.
(THE) LION’S WHISKER ..................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 55
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , VALUES, WISDOM ......................................................................................55 50.
(THE) LOST KEYS .................... .................... ..................... ..................... .................... ............ 56
ACCOUNTABILITY, LIVING YOUR TRUTH ..............................................................................................56 51.
THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN ................. .................... ..................... .................... ......... 56
ATTITUDE, PERSISTENCE , RESILIENCE ..................................................................................................56 52.
(THE) MEDITAT ION CAT ................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 57
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO, CULTURE .........................................................................................57 53.
(THE) MESSIAH IN DISGUISE.................. .................... ..................... .................... ............... 57
ACCEPTANCE, CULTURE, TEAMWORK , VALUES ....................................................................................57 54.
(THE) MEXICAN FISHER MAN.. .................... ..................... ..................... .................... ......... 58
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life CHOICE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ......................................................................................................58 55.
(THE) MOUSE TRAP ................ ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 59
ATTITUDE, TEAMWORK .......................................................................................................................59 56.
MURPHY ’S PLOUGH ........................ ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 60
CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS, PERCEPTION ...................................................................................60 57.
NAILS IN THE FENCE.......................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 60
ACCOUNTABILITY, WISDOM ................................................................................................................60 58.
NASA.........................................................................................................................................61
VISION ................................................................................................................................................61 59.
ONE THOUS AND MARBLES.................. .................... ..................... .................... .................. 61
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , PRIORITISATION .........................................................................................61 60.
OUR DEEPEST FEAR ........................ ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 62
EMPOWERMENT, INSPIRATION .............................................................................................................62 61.
PARACHUTES.........................................................................................................................63
CULTURE, GRATITUDE, TEAMWORK .....................................................................................................63 62.
PLAYIN G A VIOLIN WITH THREE STRINGS................................. .................... ............... 63
ADAPTING TO CHANGE, INNOVATION , INSPIRATION , LEADERSHIP , RESILIENCE ......................................63 63.
(THE) POODLE & THE LEOPAR D ................. .................... ..................... .................... ......... 64
COURAGE, INITIATIVE , LATERAL THINKING, WISDOM ..........................................................................64 64.
PORTRA IT OF AN ACHIEVER!............. .................... ..................... ..................... ................. 65
LEADERSHIP , PERSISTENCE , RESILIENCE ..............................................................................................65 65.
PRIZE COW.. .................... ..................... ................. ........................ .................... ..................... 66
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO, FINDING THE GIFT IN THE CHALLENGE, TAKING RISKS ......................66 66.
QUICK TO JUDGE.. ..................... .................... ..................... ..................... .................... ......... 67
CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS .......................................................................................................67 67.
READIN G THE SIGNS................. ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 68
ACCEPTANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY .........................................................................................................68 68.
(THE) REAL MEANI NG OF PEACE .................... ........................ ..................... ................. ... 68
ATTITUDE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , RESILIENCE ..............................................................................68 69.
REALIT Y BITES........................ ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 69
EMBRACING D IVERSITY, LATERAL THINKING, PERCEPTION ..................................................................69 70.
(THE) RIPPLE EFFECT........................ ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 69
ACCOUNTABILITY ...............................................................................................................................69 71.
(THE) RIVER CROSS ING..................... ................. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 70
ATTITUDE, FORGIVENESS , PERCEPTION, VALUES ..................................................................................70 72.
ROAST BEEF .................... ..................... ................. ........................ .................... ..................... 71
CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO, CULTURE .........................................................................................71 73.
ROBERT THE BRUCE AND THE SPIDER.......... ........................ .................... ..................... 71
COURAGE, PERSISTENCE ......................................................................................................................71 74.
ST CRISPIN ’S DAY SPEECH ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 72
INSPIRATION , LEADERSHIP ...................................................................................................................72
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 75.
SANDCASTLES........................................................................................................................73
PERCEPTION, PRIORITISATION ..............................................................................................................73 76.
(THE) SECRET OF LIFE ................... ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 74
INSPIRATION , VALUES, VISION .............................................................................................................74 77.
SHARPEN ING THE AXE.......... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 74
PRIORITISATION , WISDOM ...................................................................................................................74 78.
(A) SLANDERO US TONGUE................................. ........................ .................... ..................... 75
INTEGRITY , WISDOM ...........................................................................................................................75 79.
SOMETHING TO PONDER ON ................. .................... ..................... .................... ............... 76
GRATITUDE , DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ................................................................................................76 80.
SOMETI MES THEY CHANGE THE BISCUI TS.. ........................ ..................... ................. ... 76
ACCEPTANCE, CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ........................................76 81.
SPILT MILK............................ ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 77
ATTITUDE, EMPOWERMENT, INSPIRATION , REFRAMING CHALLENGES ...................................................77 82.
STARFIS H ................ ..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 77
OPTIMISM, PERCEPTION .......................................................................................................................77 83.
(A) STICKY INNOVATION ..................... .................... ..................... ................. ..................... 78
CULTURE, EMPOWERMENT, INNOVATION, TRUST .................................................................................78 84.
(THE) STONECU TTER.... ..................... ................. ........................ .................... ..................... 79
ACCEPTANCE, PERCEPTION ..................................................................................................................79 85.
TAKE TIME ................ ........................ ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 79
PRIORITISATION , VALUES, WISDOM .....................................................................................................79 86.
TEASPOO N, TEACU P OR BUCKET ? ............... ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 80
CHOICE, LATERAL THINKING ...............................................................................................................80 87.
(THE) THREE HAIRS ........................ ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 80
ATTITUDE, CHOICE, OPTIMISM, RESILIENCE .........................................................................................80 88.
TICKLE ME ELMO................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 81
CLARITY OF COMMUNICATION, CONSEQUENCES OF ASSUMPTIONS ........................................................81 89.
(THE) TRAVELL ER & THE MONK............... ..................... ..................... .................... ......... 81
ATTITUDE, CHOICE, PERCEPTION .........................................................................................................81 90.
(THE) TRIPLE FILTER TEST................. .................... ..................... ................. ..................... 82
INTEGRITY , LIVING YOUR TRUTH .........................................................................................................82 91.
(THE) TROUBLE TREE..................... ................. ..................... ..................... .................... ...... 83
ATTITUDE, PRIORITISATION , RESILIENCE ..............................................................................................83 92.
TWO BROTHER S AND SOME GEESE..... .................... ..................... .................... ............... 83
INITIATIVE , LEADERSHIP , WISDOM .......................................................................................................83 93.
TWO FROGS......... ..................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ............ 84
ENCOURAGEMENT , PERSISTENCE , RESILIENCE ......................................................................................84 94.
TWO SEEDS.... ..................... ..................... .................... ..................... ................. ..................... 85
ACCOUNTABILITY, COURAGE, LIVING YOUR TRUTH .............................................................................85 95.
TWO WOLVES .................... ..................... .................... ..................... .................... .................. 85
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life LEADERSHIP , WISDOM .........................................................................................................................85 96.
(THE) VALUE OF A SMILE .................... .................... ..................... ..................... ................. 85
ATTITUDE, OPTIMISM ..........................................................................................................................85 97.
WE’LL SEE ................. ........................ .................... ........................ ..................... ................. ... 86
ADAPTING TO CHANGE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES , PERCEPTION ..........................................................86 98.
(THE) WHEELBAR ROW OF TRUST..... .................... ..................... ................. ..................... 87
LEADERSHIP , TRUST ............................................................................................................................87 99.
WHOSE JOB IS IT ANYW AY?................ .................... ..................... .................... .................. 87
ACCOUNTABILITY ...............................................................................................................................87 100.
YOUR VALUE – THE STORY OF THE $20 NOTE ..................... ..................... ................. ... 87
INSPIRATION , LIVING YOUR TRUTH, OPTIMISM .....................................................................................87 101.
ZEN AND A CUP OF TEA............ ..................... .................... ..................... .................... ......... 88
PERCEPTION, WISDOM .........................................................................................................................88 103.
CLARE’ S STORY ................ ..................... .................... ..................... ................. ..................... 89
YOUR FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED ............................................................................................90
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty The author has used her best efforts in preparing this book, and the information provided herein is provided ‘as is’. Changeworks in People Development makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Every effort has been made to identify the srcinal authors of the stories included in this book, any omissions are not deliberate. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author. Images used in this book have been sourced from Stock Exchange, Istockphoto, Fotalia and the author’s personal picture collection.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
A Sprinkling of Magic How to captivate your Audience with Inspiring Stories and Metaphors that give Meaning to your Message
If you have purchased 101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life as a standalone ebook, then you might be missing out on this perfect accompaniment!
‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ shows you how to bring your stories to life and captivate your audiences through tools, techniques and step by step processes and strategies to create, construct and deliver your unique stories and metaphors in a way that adds that magic touch.
If you would like to receive the Chapter Headings, and Chapter 1 FREE, then please email Clare at
[email protected]
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
101 Inspiring Quotes for Business and Life
A quotation is like a mini power-packed story. It can be the magic ingredient in the recipe that brings out all the flavours of the metaphorical dish. If you want to credibly support your theory, then to do so with a powerful quote sets the scene perfectly.
For your convenience I have created links to the Wikipedia encyclopaedia of every srcinal author of the quote so you can add to the credibility. All quotes have been categorized under themes such as accountability, attitude, business, change, integrity, mindset and many more.
101 Inspiring Quotes for Business and Life includes my personal collection of favourite quotes. I have heard these quotes in workshops, speeches, on the radio and television; I have read them in books or heard them being shared by family and friends. Every single quote in this list has, in some way, inspired me to take action or behave in a more effective way.
This ebook is available exclusively and FREE OF CHARGE to those who purchase both ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ – How to captivate your Audience with Inspiring Stories and Metaphors that give Meaning to your Message and 101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
About Clare Edwards
Clare spent 16 years working at senior management level with International organisations before deciding to follow her vocational path into people development where she worked with the UK’s leading teambuilding companies, challenging clients to take their teams to the next level of performance.
Clare is a highly motivated organisational development professional with extensive experience in the hospitality industry and corporate business. Her particular passions lie in helping people to develop their levels of emotional resilience and happiness through her Bouncebackability™ programmes and to develop self awareness and understanding of others through the personality profiling systems of TMS – Team Management Systems®, and Aus Identities®
In 2005, Clare relocated to Australia (Queensland’s Sunshine Coast), where she set up her business Changeworks; consulting, coaching and facilitating various programmes for her corporate and public sector clients. She is an accomplished speaker who specialises in emotional resilience, personality type, and communication.
Clare’s mission is simply one of inspiring potential. When you work with Clare you embark on a journey that challenges your capabilities and assumptions beyond their limiting horizons, often leaving you with amazing results.
Clare holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of West London and is a certified Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). She is a Member of the National Speakers Association of Australia (NSAA).
www.change-works.com.au
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Introduction Stories are an essential and living part of every culture worldwide. They have that magic ability to bring out the meaning in the message without offence or condescension, delivering a message that is uniquely interpreted by the listener.
Where ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ takes you through the steps of constructing and delivering your stories for maximum effect, the aim of this book is to provide you with a rich and varied database of stories, some well known and others lesser known, that have been categorised according to differing messages and meanings. These categories are ones that I have found to be useful and you may find a much wider application as you use them, so they shouldn’t be restricted to the ones I suggest.
We are familiar with stories, having been brought up with storytelling in the family, community and at school. Stories have a way of connecting the message to the meaning through the use of characters, examples and experiences, all with which we can identify on some level.
Speakers, facilitators, trainers, teachers, business leaders and professional communicators and educators have been using stories for effect, whether gathered from various sources or by sharing their own stories, for years.
In addition to the categories, I have sometimes added my own notes, based on my experience of having told a particular story. This is designed to enhance the context for you in using the story and it is not my intention to provide you with an interpretation, as that of course, is down to you and your listener!
May you find an appropriate story for every message you want to deliver, enjoy telling them, and always with A Sprinkling of Magic! Clare
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Original Sources, Authors and Acknowledgements I began collecting stories for use in business in 1996 when I attended ‘An Introduction to NLP’ course at work. This course was run by a rather large, foreboding rugby-playing swearing Kiwi called Jamie Moodie. Jamie was a master of metaphor and the first story he told us was ‘The Mexican and the Fisherman’. I was hooked (pardon the pun) and began listening out for stories and gathering them into my ‘magical metaphors’ file, which grew over the years.
In addition to Jamie I would like to thank Reg Connolly of Pegasus NLP, Elizabeth Cairns of Amovita and Trevor Silvester of The Quest Institute for helping me develop a passion for storytelling and for being living examples of master storytellers.
Many of the 101 stories you will read have their srcin in religious parables or folklore; the Sufis, Zen, Hasidic and Christian parables, Ancient Indian, African and Chinese tales. Others I will have gathered from the many courses and seminars I have attended, research I have done for facilitating workshops and also stories passed on to me from others who knew of my passion.
Where I am 100% sure of the srcin, I have cited this at the end of the story. I have also made every attempt to rattle my brains and recall (and duly give credit to) those who submitted a story to me.
I am keen to be able to acknowledge srcinal authors and have attempted to do this by searching on the Internet only to find multiple ‘srcinal’ authors against the same story, so please forgive me if you are the genuine srcinal author of a story and I will rightfully acknowledge you as I update the book.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Why 101? Why so many stories? Surely a handful will suffice? To illustrate my point I would like to share a story with you…. A Parable of Parables – The Bull’s Eye
A great rabbi fell ill and was too weak to study so he asked a famous storyteller, who was known as the Maggid of Dubno, to visit him and read him stories and parables. He asked the Maggid how come he always had a story or parable to hand with every moral lesson he wanted to teach. The Maggid smiled and responded. "Let me tell you a story”. There was once a famous archer who entered a village and saw several targets drawn on the wall. In the perfect centre of each target was an arrow. The archer was amazed and asked the villagers who the accomplished archer could be? The villagers laughed and said, “It’s the village fool who accomplishes these great feats!” The archer asked to meet the ‘fool’. “Bring him to me for he is truly gifted”. The village fool was brought before the archer, who respectfully bowed and said, “Tell me, how is it that you are able to shoot a bull’s eye every time you fire your arrow?” The fool replied with a cheeky grin, “It’s easy! First I shoot the arrow and then I draw the target!” The Maggid then explained, “It is the same with my stories. First I introduce the topic for which I have the perfect story, and then the story helps me to make my point every time”. And so the moral of the story is – the more stories you know, the more targets you’ll hit! This story is based on the Jewish Hasidic stories and first came to my attention when learning about metaphors in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming).
Horses for Courses
Just as the Bull’s Eye parable suggests, when I have a theme or message I want to share, I look up which is the most appropriate story to tell. Relevance is not just in the meaning, it also applies to understanding my audienceand andstyle making sure that the majority at least can resonate with the content of the story. A fairytale type anecdote may be a little harder to swallow with a group of highly analytical, rational and practical scientists or financial analysts (though don’t rule it out one day!) so I have aimed to cater to a varying audience. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Categorisation Guidelines The categories I have chosen for each of the stories are based on my experience and personal interpretation of the stories. In order to make it as easy as possible, there is a cross referencing of categories.
Firstly, you will find a table of contents that lists the story and the categories I have chosen as a sub-heading so for each story you read you can see what I believe are they key meanings it reflects.
Secondly, I have compiled a list of categories and against each category is the corresponding story number that relates to it. So, for example, when you look at the category of Leadership, you will see that stories xxxxxx, in my opinion, are effective at communicating certain elements of leadership.
As you can see in the table, the primary category also incorporates similar categories. Your input is Welcome!
My hope is that this remains a living, ever-enhancing resource so if you have experience of sharing a story and it relates to a different category or you would like to share your experience of using these stories, please feed back through the following channels:
1. On my ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ blogsite http://asprinklingofmagic.wordpress.com 2. Directly to my email
[email protected]
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Categories
Cate gory
Stories relating to this Cate gory
Acceptance (awareness inc. self awareness)
17,20,26,27,30,44,53,67,80,84
Accountability (responsibility) Adapting to Change (dealing
42,50,57,67,70,94,99
with and managing change) Attitude
3,5,10,38,48,62,97 1,2,9,16,18,25,37,43,46,51,55,68, 71,81,87,89,91,96
Challenging the Status Quo
5,28,52,65,72
Choice Clarity of Communication (communicating for effect) Consequences of assumptions (and actions) Courage (expanding your comfort zone, facing your fears)
18,24,28,32,42,54,86,87,89
Culture (organisational)
5,13,14,16,19,25,28,38,52,53,61,72,83
Different Perspectives (embracing diversity)
2,3,6,15,20,23,26,30,37,44,49,54, 59,68,69,79,80,97
Empowerment Finding the Gift in the Challenge (obstacles, as opportunities, reframing challenges, the blessing in disguise) Forgiveness (letting go, moving on)
8,60,81,83
Gratitude
2,13,14,61,79
Initiative
4,62,92
Innovation (creativity)
19,25,36,62,83
Inspiration (motivation)
39,60,62,74,76,81,100
Integrity (honesty) Lateral Thinking (creative thinking, quick thinking)
7,9,29,33,40,44,78,90
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11,12,16,88 11,12,31,34,56,66,80,88 35,42,48,63,73,94
1,4,8,10,17,21,65,81
37,41,71
11,19,23,25,45,63,69,86
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Leadership Living your Truth (authenticity, congruence) Optimism (hope, encouragement)
23,24,33,35,39,40,41,62,64,74,92,95,98
Perception
56,69,71,75,82,84,89,97,101
Personality type
20,37
Prioritisation (work life balance) Persistence (determination, perseverance, never giving up)
59,75,77,85,91
Resilience (bouncing back from adversity) Taking risks (expanding your comfort zone)
1,18,21,22,32,40,43,46,51 62,64,68,87,91,93
Teamwork
15,19,47,48,53,55,61
Trust Values
30,48,83,98 2,7,13,14,19,29,33,40,47,49,53 71,76,85
Vision (mission)
6,38,39,58,76
Wisdom
23,41,45,46,49,57,63,77,78,92,95,101
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9,24,27,39,50,90,94,100 10,21,43,82,87,93,96,100
22,32,43,51,64,73,93
24,48,65
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
101 Stories 1. A Chance to Start over Attitude, Obstacles as Opportunities, Resilience
It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas Edison's factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding on a variety of fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn more of his dreams into practical realities. Edison's plant, made of concrete and steel, was deemed "fireproof". As you may have already guessed, it wasn't! On that frigid night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational blaze that had burst through the plant roof. Edison's 24 year old son Charles, made a frenzied search for his famous inventor father. When he finally found him, he was watching the fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face was illuminated by the leaping flames. "My heart ached for him" said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old and everything he had worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, “Charles! Where's your mother?” When I told him I didn't know, he said, “Find her! Bring her here! She'll never see anything like this as long as she lives." Next morning, Thomas Edison looked at the ruins of his factory and said this of his loss - "There's value in disaster, all our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew."
Source unknown Clare’s notes – Thomas Edison is one ofa my heroes and and find mentors andIthis story reflects perfectly the ability to reframe challenge the gift. often ask of my workshop attendees what difference it could make if they could find the gift in their challenge as it happens (or soon after) as opposed to years down the line.
2. Beauty Tips by Audrey Hepburn Attitude, Different Perspectives, Gratitude, Values
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anybody. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Author – Audrey Hepburn Clare’s notes- this is just a section of the verse and I keep a copy of it in my purse. When I find someone focused on the superfluous, I find this a gentle way to remind them of what true beauty is. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 3. (The) Blind Men & the Elephant Adapting to Change, Different Perspectives
Six blind men were discussing exactly what they believed an elephant to be, since each had heard how strange the creature was, yet none had ever seen one before. So the blind men agreed to find an elephant and discover what the animal was really like. It didn't take the blind men long to find an elephant at a nearby market. The first blind man approached the beast and felt the animal's firm flat side. "It seems to me that the elephant is just like a wall," he said to his friends. The second blind man reached out and touched one of the elephant's tusks. "No, this is round and smooth and sharp - the elephant is like a spear." Intrigued, the third blind man stepped up to the elephant and touched its trunk. "Well, I can't agree with either of you; I feel a squirming writhing thing - surely the elephant is just like a snake." The fourth blind man was of course by now quite puzzled. So he reached out, and felt the elephant's leg. "You are all talking complete nonsense," he said, "because clearly the elephant is just like a tree." Utterly confused, the fifth blind man stepped forward and grabbed one of the elephant's ears. "You must all be mad - an elephant is exactly like a fan." The sixth man then approached, and, holding the beast's tail, disagreed again. "It's nothing like any of your descriptions - the elephant is just like a rope." And all six blind men continued to argue, based on their own particular experiences, as to what thought an elephant wasconcerned like. It wasonly an argument that idea. they were never able they to resolve. Each of them was with their own None of them had the full picture, and none could see any of the other's point of view. Each man saw the elephant as something quite different, and while in part each blind man was right, none was wholly correct.
This is the Indian version of this old parable, the srcinal coming from China sometime during the Han dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) Clare’s notes - I first heard this story when I was learning NLP and it was used to get us to see (pardon the pun) that each of us views and perceives the world in our own unique way and the more we invest time and energy to ‘walk in the other man’s shoes’, the better communicators we shall become
4. (The) Boulder and the King Initiative, Obstacles as Opportunities
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would try to remove the boulder. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but no-one did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life boulder, the peasant laid down his load and tried to move the rock to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King stating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
Parable by unknown author Clare’s notes – this is a great story to use when you want to deliver the message simply and if you have a younger audience. I use this story in ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ to illustrate my method of remembering stories.
5. Brewery & Horses Adapting to Change, Challenging the Status Quo, Culture
An old, traditional brewery decided to install a new canning line, so that its beer products could be marketed to supermarkets. This represented a major change for the company and local dignitaries and past employees were invited to witness the first running of the new canning line, which was followed by a buffet and drinks. After the new line had been switched on successfully, the guests relaxed in small groups to chat and enjoy the buffet. In a quiet corner stood three men discussing trucks and transport and distribution, since one was the present distribution manager, and the other two were past holders of the post, having retired many years ago. The three men represented three generations of company distribution management, spanning over sixty years. The present distribution manager confessed that his job was becoming more stressful because company policy required long deliveries to be made on Monday and Tuesday, short deliveries on Fridays, and all other deliveries mid-week. "It's so difficult to schedule things efficiently - heaven knows what we'll do with these new cans and the tight demands of the supermarkets..." The other two men nodded in agreement. "It was the same in my day," sympathised the present manager's predecessor, "It always seemed strange to me that trucks returning early on Mondays and Tuesdays couldn't be used for little local runs, because the local deliveries had to be left until Friday." The third man nodded, and was thinking hard, struggling to recall the policy's roots many years ago when he'd have been a junior in the despatch department. After a pause, the third man smiled and then ventured a suggestion. "I think I remember now," he said, "It was the horses..... during the Second World War, fuel rationing was introduced. So we mothballed the trucks and went back to using the horses. On Mondays the horses were well-rested after the weekend hence the long deliveries. By Friday the horses were so tired they could only handle the short local drops..." Soon after the opening of the new canning line the company changed its delivery policy.
Original source unknown © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Clare’s notes – I first found this story a few years ago on Alan Chapman’s comprehensive site Businessballs and have used it frequently to challenge people to question why things are the way they are and to actively seek alternatives and improvements to existing processes and to challenge their culture
6. Building a Cathedral Different Perspectives, Vision
There once were three stonecutters. The first, when asked by a stranger about what he is doing, says, "Can't you see I'm cutting stones?" The stranger quickly moves off. He comes upon a second who, when asked about what he is doing, says, "I'm working for income so I can take care of my family." The stranger moves on. He comes upon the third stonecutter who, when asked about what he is doing, says with a smile and affirmation, "I'm building a cathedral. Each stone I cut is placed into a house of praise that will be here centuries after I am gone."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this is a well known story yet I continue to use it when challenging people about the business they are in and helping them to see the bigger picture.
7. (The) Butcher’s Chicken Integrity, values
A butcher, who had had a particularly good day, proudly flipped his last chicken on a scale and weighed it. "That will be $12.35," he told the customer. "That's a good price, but it really is a little too small," said the woman. "Don't you have anything larger?" Hesitating, but thinking fast, the clerk returned the chicken to the refrigerator, paused a moment, then took it out again. "This one," he said faintly, " will be $13.85." The woman paused for a moment then made her decision... "I know what," she said, "I'll take both of them!"
Author unknown
8. (The) Butterfly Empowerment, Finding the Gift in the Challenge
A man found a chrysalis for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared stuck.
The man decided to help the butterfly and with a pair of scissors he cut open the chrysalis. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something wasn’t right however. The butterfly had a swollen body and shrivelled wings.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The man watched the butterfly expecting it to take on its correct proportions but nothing changed. The butterfly stayed the same. It was never able to fly. In his kindness and haste the man did not realise that the butterfly's struggle to get through the small opening of the chrysalis, is nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – regardless of the age of the audience I have told this story countless times and to great effect. It’s such a clear illustration of Finding the Gift in the Challenge and makes it easy to transition into discussion with a group helping them to uncover their gifts.
9. (The) Carpenter's House Attitude, Integrity, Living your Truth
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He had worked more than 30 years for the same firm and proudly had ever had one recall on his workmanship. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the money and the camaraderie, but he knew he was making the right decision. The boss was sorry to see such a dedicated and skilled employee go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials, covering his mistakes over so they weren’t obvious. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the boss handed the front door key to him. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you for all your hard work, dedication, perfectionism and honesty."
Author unknown, ack. Jamie Moodie Clare’s notes –This story has many applications and I have found it particularly effective when delivering to people work a trade for obvious reasons. I often elaborate it with details of how he cut corners and a big retirement party with all the other trades people gathered around.
10.
Carrots, Eggs & Coffee
Adapting to Change, Obstacles as Opportunities, Optimism
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She didn’t know how she was going to carry on and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one turned up. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water, placing each on a high flame. Soon the pots started to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." “Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?" The carrot seems strong, but with pain and adversity it wilts and becomes soft losing any strength. The egg starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat. The shell may shell look the same, but on the inside it is bitter and tough? The coffee bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour. Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Author unknown, ack. email received Clare’s notes – I have used this story a couple of times with youth groups. I take with me a carrot, an egg and a handful of coffee beans as props (make sure to boil the egg!) and facilitate the discussion about “which one are you and why” and what it would take to become more like the bean.
11.
Catching a flight
Clarity of Communication, Consequences of Assumptions, Lateral Thinking
A man and his wife had been arguing all night, and as bedtime approached neither was speaking to the other. It was not unusual for the pair to continue this war of silence for two or three days but on this occasion the man was concerned because he needed to be awake at 4:30am the next morning to catch an important flight. Being a very heavy sleeper, he usually relied on his wife to wake him. While his wife was in the bathroom, he wrote on a piece of paper: “Please wake me at 4:30am - I have an important flight to catch”. He put the note on his wife's pillow, then turned over and went to sleep.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
The man awoke the next morning and looked at the clock. It was 8:00am. Furious that he had missed his flight, he was about to go in search of his errant wife to give her a piece of his mind, when he spotted a hand-written note on his bedside cabinet. The note said: “It's 4:30am - get up.”
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I heard this story on the radio a few years back and it made me chuckle. There are many messages in this short anecdote; I like to think that it inspires people never to go sleep on a bad word!
12.
Chickens & Windows
Clarity of Communication, Consequences of Assumptions
Engineers at a major aerospace company were instructed to test the effects of bird strikes (notably geese) on the windshields of airliners and military jets. To simulate the effect of a goose colliding with an aircraft travelling at high speed, the test engineers built a powerful gun, with which they fired dead chickens at the windshields. The simulations using the gun and the dead chickens worked extremely effectively, happily proving the suitability of the windshields, and several articles about the project appeared in the testing industry press. It so happened that another test laboratory in a different part of the world was involved in assessing bird strikes; in this case on the windshields and drivers' cabs of new ultra high speed trains. The train test engineers had read about the pioneering test developed by the aerospace team, and so they approached them to ask for specifications the gun and testing methods. The aerospace engineers gave them theofdetails and thethe train engineers set about building their own duly simulation. The simulated bird-strike tests on the train windshields and cabs produced shocking results. The supposed ‘state of the art’ and ‘shatterproof’ high speed train windshields offered little resistance to the high-speed chickens; in fact every single windshield that was submitted for testing was smashed to pieces, along with a number of train cabs and much of the test booth itself. The horrified train engineers were concerned that the new high speed trains required a safety technology that was beyond their experience, so they contacted the aerospace team for advice and suggestions, sending them an extensive report of the tests and failures. The brief reply came back from the aero engineers….."You need to defrost the chickens...."
Original source unknown Clare’s notes – I sometimes use this story in my communications and personality type workshops and it always raises a chuckle. I often ask the participants what they think the return advice was and about 3 out of 10 guess that they were using frozen chickens. Oh how we assume we are being super clear!
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
13.
Circle of Joy
Culture, Gratitude, Values
A countryman knocked hard on a monastery door. When the monk tending the gates opened up, he was given a magnificent basket of grapes. “Brother, these are the finest my vineyard has produced. I’ve come to bear them as a gift”. “Thank you! I will take them to the Abbot immediately; he’ll be delighted with this offering”. “No! I brought them for you” said the man. “For me?” the monk blushed for he didn’t think he deserved such a fine gift of nature. “Yes”, insisted the man. “For whenever I knock on the door, it is you who opens it. When I needed help because the crop was destroyed by drought, you gave me a piece bread andsun’s a cuplove, of wine every beauty day. I hope thismiracle bunch of will bring you a of little of the the rain’s and the of grapes God, for it is he made it grow so fine”. The monk kept looking at the basket of grapes and thought how beautiful they were. Because of this he decided to deliver the gift to the Abbot who always encouraged him with words of wisdom. The Abbot was very pleased with the grapes, but he recalled that there was a sick brother in the monastery, and thought: I’ll give him the grapes. Who knows, they may bring some joy to his life. And that is what he did. But the grapes didn’t stay in the sick monk’s room for long, for he reflected: The cook has looked after me for so long, feeding me only the best meals. I’m sure he will enjoy these. When the cook appeared at lunch, to bring him his meal, he presented him with the grapes. “They’re for you” said the sick monk. “Since you are always coming into contact with that which nature produces, you will know what to do with this work of God”. The cook was amazed at the beauty of the grapes and showed his assistant how perfect they were. So perfect, he thought to himself, that no one would appreciate them more than the sexton since he was responsible for the Holy Sacrament and many at the monastery considered him a holy man. The sexton, in turn, gave the grapes as a gift to the youngest novice, that he might understand that the work of God’s creation. When the novice received them, his heart was filled with gratitude for he had never seen such beautiful grapes. Just then, he remembered the first time he came to the monastery, and of the person who had opened the gates for him; it was that gesture which allowed him to be among this community of people who knew how to value the wonders of life. And so, just before nightfall, he took the grapes to the monk at the gates. “Eat and enjoy them” he said. “For you spend most of your time alone here, and these grapes will make you very happy”. The monk understood that the gift had been truly destined for him, and relished each of the grapes, before falling into a pleasant sleep. Thus the circle was closed; the circle of happiness and joy, which always shines brightly around generous people.
Original author Bruno Ferrero Clare’s notes – I often shorten this story which I first came across as a follower of the site Inspirationpeak. It’s a beautiful example of the law of reciprocity. If you don’t want to use a religious context then you can change it to a company or family or hospital – just use your imagination. The grapes can be replaced with chocolates, flowers or whatever your imagination wants to use! © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 14.
(The) Cleaning Lady
Culture, Gratitude, Values
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman many times. She was tall, darkhaired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely" said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people, all of whom are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘Hello’." The lady’s name was Dorothy.
Original source cited as Joanne C. Jones Clare’s notes – I received this in a generic email and am passionate about its message. When I was a manager in the hospitality industry I used to ask my team of front office staff what would be the consequences of not having a kitchen porter for a day? My logo contains cogs because, no matter how small the cog, all are of equal importance and needed to make the mechanism (or organisation) work smoothly.
15.
(The) Colours of Friendship
Embracing Diversity, Teamwork
Once all the colours of the world came together and, instead of harmony, there was infighting and competition. All claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favourite. GREEN said "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority." BLUE interrupted; "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing." YELLOW chuckled; "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun." ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet; "I am the colour of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the
most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life RED could stand it no longer, he shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I bring fire into the blood. I am willing to fight for a cause. I am the colour of danger and of bravery. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the colour of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy." PURPLE rose up to his full height; He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the colour of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me, for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."
Finally INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the colour of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for and prayer and inner peace." So the colours went on boasting, each convinced of their own superiority. The quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening. Thunder rolled and boomed, rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colours crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort. In the midst of the clamour, rain began to speak: "You foolish colours, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me." Doing as they were told, the colours united and joined hands. The rain continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of colour as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I haven’t tried this out on teambuilding for adults yet. It’s such a good metaphor for teamwork though that I wanted to include it as I believe it could be powerful for young people wanting to work as a team. It can also extend to diversity of differing characteristics and strengths.
16.
Consequences of Self Importance
Attitude, Clarity of Communication, Culture
A Department of Water Resources representative stops at a rural farm and talks with an old farmer. He tells the farmer, “I need to inspect your farm for your water allocation”. The old farmer says, “Okay, but don't go in that field over there”. The Water representative puffs himself up and says, “Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. See this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?” The old farmer nods politely and goes about his work. Later, the farmer can hear loud screams and spies the Water Rep running for his life and close behind is the farmer's bull. The bull is gaining with every step. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
The Rep is clearly terrified, so the old farmer immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs..... “YOUR CARD – SHOW HIM YOUR CARD!”
Original source unknown Clare’s notes – I received this in an email and the timing was perfect – I was just about to run a teambuild with 60 people from the regional water supplier and used it in the opening! You could have a lot of fun with this and change it to any industry and it sets the scene well for discussions around culture and policy.
17.
(The) Cracked Pot
Acceptance, Finding the Gift in the Challenge
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made and never leaked. The other pot had a crack in it and by the time the water bearer reached his master's house it had leaked much of its water and was only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologised to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate table. you being justhis the way you are,my hemaster's would not haveWithout this beauty to grace house."
Based on an Indian parable
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Clare’s notes – a well known story that still packs a punch and one which I have used often in one to one coaching.
18.
(On) Dealing with Abuse
Attitude, Choice, Resilience
A tale is told about the Buddha, Gautama (563-483BC), the Indian Prince and spiritual leader whose teachings founded Buddhism. On an occasion when the Buddha was teaching a group of people, he found himself on the receiving end of a fierce outburst of abuse from a man who was angry that his son was being ‘taken’ as a monk. The Buddha listened patiently while the stranger vented his rage, and then the Buddha said to the group and to the stranger, "If someone gives a gift to another person, who then chooses to decline it, tell me, who would then own the gift, the giver or the person who refuses to accept the gift?" "The giver," said the group after a little thought. "Any fool can see that," added the angry stranger. "Then it follows, does it not," said the Buddha, "Whenever a person tries to abuse us, or to unload their anger on us, we can each choose to decline or to accept the abuse; whether to make it ours or not. By our personal response to the abuse from another, we can choose who owns and keeps the bad feelings."
Based on Zen stories Clare’s notes – I use this as an example of the difference between reacting and responding in my communication and resilience workshops. You can always substitute ‘a wise elder’ for the Buddha if it’s more culturally acceptable.
19.
Difference between Heaven and Hell
Culture, Innovation, Lateral Thinking, Teamwork, Values
There once lived an old woman who had a burning desire. She wished more than anything to see for herself the difference between heaven and hell. The monks in the temple agreed to grant her request. They put a blindfold around her eyes, and said, "First you shall see hell." When the blindfold was removed, the old woman was standing at the entrance to a great dining hall. The hall was full of round tables, each piled high with the most delicious foods; meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and desserts of all kinds! The smells that reached her nose were tantalising. The old woman noticed that, in hell, there were people seated around those round tables. She saw that their bodies were thin, and their faces were gaunt, and creased with frustration. Each person held a spoon. The spoons must have been three feet long! They were so long that the people in hell could reach the food on those platters, but could get the food back to their As the old watched, shethey heard theirnot hungry desperate cries. "I'vemouths. seen enough," shewoman cried. "Please let me see heaven." And so again the blindfold was put around her eyes, and the old woman heard, "Now you shall see heaven." When the blindfold was removed, the old woman was confused. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
For there she stood again, at the entrance to a great dining hall, filled with round tables piled high with the same lavish feast. And again, she saw that there were people sitting just out of arm's reach of the food with those three-foot long spoons. But as the old woman looked closer, she noticed that the people in heaven were plump and had rosy, happy faces. As she watched, a joyous sound of laughter filled the air. And soon the old woman was laughing too, for now she understood the difference between heaven and hell for herself. The people in heaven were using those long spoons to feed each other.
Adapted from a Japanese and Chinese folk tale. Ack. Cathy Johnson Campbell of Inspired Personal Development Clare’s notes - I once worked for an extremely selfish organisation and wish I’d had known about this story to be able to start the discussions around true teamwork and values. I love the ‘lateral thinking’ element of this tale and the spoons are a helpful analogy to start conversations around tools that are available for both good and detriment.
20.
Different Drummers
Acceptance, Embracing Diversity, Personality Type
If you do not want what I want, please try not to tell me that my want is wrong. Or if my beliefs are different from yours, at least pause before you set out to correct them. Or if my emotion seems less or more intent than yours, given the same circumstances, try not to ask me to feel other than I do. Or yet if I act, or fail to act, in the manner of your design for action, please let me be. I do not, for the moment at least, ask you to understand me. That will come only when you are willing to give up trying to change me into a copy of you. If you will allow me any of my own wants, or emotions, or beliefs, or actions, then you open yourself to the possibility that some day these ways of mine might not seem so wrong, and might finally appear as right - for me. To put up with me is the first step to understanding me. Not that you embrace my ways as right for you, but that you are no longer irritated or disappointed with me for my seeming waywardness. And one day perhaps, in trying to understand me, you might come to prize my differences, and, far from seeking to change me; might preserve and even cherish those differences. I may be your spouse, your parent, your offspring, your friend, your colleague. But whatever our relation, this I know: You and I are fundamentally different and both of us have to march to our own drummer.
By David Keirsey from his book ‘Please Understand Me II’ Clare’s notes – I often recite this poem or include it in the workbooks of my personality profiling workshops as it speaks volumes about embracing and accepting difference. I know many a participant who has gone home and gently handed it to their spouse…. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 21.
Donkey in the Well
Obstacles as Opportunities, Optimism, Resilience
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, that the well needed to be covered anyway and that it just wasn't worth retrieving the donkey. So he invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quietened down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this is one of my favourite stories and one which I use a lot in ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’. It has many variations (elephant in Africa, horse in China) and is easily accepted by adults as young people.
22.
Don’t Quit Poem
Persistence, Resilience
When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit Rest if you must, but do not quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a fellow turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out. Don't give up though the pace seems slow you may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than It seems to a fair and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when night came down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar, © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Source – Anthony Fernando www.dontquitpoem.com – Original author disputed Clare’s notes – Anthony has created a video to accompany this poem which I have played at my emotional resilience workshops and he has also created posters from the poems. He has written an inspiring book called ‘The Oracles Secret’ which is has been written in a parable form and is excellent.
23.
Dragon Killers
Different Perspectives, Lateral Thinking, Leadership, Wisdom
Many years ago in the hills of Patagonia there was a village whose inhabitants were starving. They lived in fear of a dragon that they had seen in their fields and they would not go to harvest their crops. One day a traveller came to the village and asked for food. They explained that there was none because they were afraid of the dragon. The traveller was brave and offered to slay the dragon. When he arrived at the fields he couldn’t see a dragon, only a large watermelon. So he returned to the village and said, “You have nothing to fear; there is no dragon, only a large watermelon.” The villagers were angry at his refusal to understand their fear and killed the traveller. Some weeks later another traveller came to the village. Again, when he asked for food he was told about the dragon. He too was brave and offered to kill the dragon. The villagers were relieved and delighted. When he arrived at the fields he also saw the giant watermelon and returned to the village to tell the villagers that they were mistaken about the dragon – they need have no fear of a giant watermelon. They killed him too. More time passed and the villagers were becoming desperate. One day a third traveller appeared and he could see how desperate they were and asked what the problem was. They told him and he promised he would slay the dragon so that they could go to the fields to harvest their crops. When he got to the field he too saw the giant watermelon. He reflected for a moment, drew his sword, leapt into the field and hacked the watermelon to pieces. He returned to the village and told them he had slain their dragon. They were overjoyed. The traveller stayed in the village for many months, long enough to teach the villagers the difference between dragons and watermelons.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I first heard this story being told by Rex Urwin of Mind Matters, an Australian NLP coaching company. I love how it unfolds and really illustrates the values of ‘walking in another’s shoes’ – trying to see the world from their perspective and achieving win:win outcomes as a result. This also reminds me of a scene in the film ‘Patch Adams’ where Patch helps his roommate overcome his fear of squirrels by moving into his world to fight them.
© Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 24.
Eagle & the Chicken
Choice, Leadership, Living your Truth, Taking Risks
A farmer was excited when an eagle nested his property and then devastated when he found the eagle had been shot. He climbed the tree to look at the nest and saw it contained a single egg. He carried it carefully down the tree, took it back to his barn, and slipped it under a brooding hen. The eaglet eventually hatched along with the other eggs that were lain under the hen. It was raised with the chickens and thought itself to be nothing but an unusual chicken. It spent its time scratching the ground for seeds, searching for worms, and clucking senselessly. One day a dark, ominous shadow fell across the barnyard. In terror the eagle fled for shelter with its companions. Looking up, the eagle saw the outstretched wings of a huge bird effortlessly carrying itself in graceful circles as it glided on currents of warm air. Entranced by the majesty of such a huge and powerful bird, it turned to the chicken beside it and asked, "What's that?" "That," said his companion "is the king of birds. Its realm is the sky. It controls the air. It is called an eagle. We are chickens. We belong on the ground." The eagle looked up at the bird and saw their similarities with himself. It looked at the chickens and, for the first time, saw how different he was from them. The eagle now had a choice. It could live and die as a chicken in the backyard coop or it could spread its wings and soar into the air with the majesty, skill, and power of the bird above.
Attributed to Dr Eldon Taylor (though an Indian parable exists based on a lion living with sheep). Dr Taylor elaborates on the above story in a ‘you tube’ video entitled ‘the chicken and the eagle story’ – well worth watching. Clare’s notes – because this is such a well known story, I will often check in with my audience to see who is familiar with it then give a précis before asking to what extent we are ‘making like the eagle-chicken’ in our lives. This is also effective in a one to one coaching scenario.
25.
Experiencing the Real Problem
Attitude, Culture, Innovation, Lateral Thinking
In the 90’s British Rail experienced a severe downturn in business. Looking for marketing answers, they went searching for a new ad agency – one that could deliver an ad campaign that would bring their customers back. When the British Rail executives went to the offices of a prominent London ad agency to discuss their needs, they were met by a very rude receptionist, who insisted that they wait. Finally, an unkempt person led them to a conference room – a dirty, scruffy room cluttered with plates of stale food. The executives were again, left to wait. A few agency people drifted in and out of the room, basically ignoring the executives who grew impatient by the minute. When the execs tried to ask what was going on, the agency people brushed them off and went about their work. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Eventually, the execs had enough. As they angrily started to get up, completely disgusted with the way they’d been treated, one of the agency people finally showed up. “Gentlemen,” he said, “your treatment here at our Agency is not typical of how we treat our clients – in fact, we’ve gone out of our way to stage this meeting for you. We’ve behaved this way to point out to you what it’s like to be a customer of British Rail. Your real problem at British Rail isn’t your advertising, it’s your people. We suggest you let us address your employee attitude problem before we attempt to change your advertising.” The British Rail executives were shocked – but the agency got the account! The agency had the remarkable conviction to point out the problem because it knew exactly what needed to change.
Clare’s notes – I haven’t been able to confirm if this is a true story or an urban myth but you could consider replacing ‘British Rail’ with a similarly performing organisation that fits your message. This is a great example of finding the core of a problem and dealing with the cause (in this case culture) rather than the symptoms.
26.
Feeding Time
Acceptance, Different Perspectives
There was once a man from the city who was visiting a small farm and during this visit he saw a farmer feeding pigs in a most unusual way. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the pig was satisfied, then he would start again with another pig. The city man watched this activity for some time with great astonishment. Finally, he could not resist saying to the farmer, "This is the most inefficient method of feeding pigs that can imagine. of the the pigs timeeat thatthem would be the saved if you simply shook theI apples off the Just tree think and let from ground!" The farmer looked puzzled and replied, "What's time to a pig?"
Author unknown Clare’s notes – though primarily a joke, this little ditty speaks loudly of the need to understand that we all have different perspectives and outcomes in life and it might bode us well to question first then comment later.
27.
Feelings
Acceptance, Living your Truth
Once there was a very small person who had feelings. They had many feelings and felt them every day. Their family liked them when they showed their feelings, so the very small person started to wear their feelings on their sleeve. One day one of the small person's parents said that they didn't like to see the FEAR feeling any more, so the small person tried to pull it off. The parent said that they would give the small person some TOUGH to cover over their FEAR. The small person found it very difficult to cover the FEAR with the TOUGH, so the other parent and the grandparents all helped. It took many days. "Now you look wonderful," said the parents when it was done. "We've covered some of your feelings with TOUGH, and you'll grow into a strong person." © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The small person grew a little older and found a friend. The friend also wore their feelings on their sleeve. The friend said one day, "My parents want me to cover up my LONELY feelings, and to be different from now on." And they were. The small person decided to cover over their LONELY feelings too, and they got ANGRY from another adult. The small person put big patches of ANGRY on top of their LONELY. It was hard work to cover over the LONELY feelings. One day when the small person (who was now not so small) went to school some of their LONELY feelings started to show. So the teacher kept them behind and gave them some GUILT to cover their LONELY feelings. Sometimes when alone at night the person would look at their feelings. They would pull off the TOUGH and ANGRY and GUILT to look at their LONELY and FEAR. Then they would have to take a long time putting the TOUGH, ANGRY and GUILT back again. One night the person noticed that their LONELY and FEAR were growing, and beginning to stick out from under the patches. So the person had to go out to find some more ANGRY to cover the LONELY, and got all the TOUGH that their parents could spare to cover their FEAR. The person grew older and became very popular because everyone said that they could hide their feelings well. The person's parents said one day that they had a PROUD feeling because the person had been so TOUGH. But the person could not find anywhere to put the PROUD feeling because the TOUGH was getting so big. The person had trouble finding room on their sleeve for any other feelings - the TOUGH and the ANGRY were all that showed. Then after a time the person met another person and they became friends. They thought that they were a lot alike because they both had only TOUGH and ANGRY feelings that showed. One day the friend told the person a secret: "I'm not really like you - my TOUGH and ANGRY are only patches to cover over my LONELY and my FEAR." The friend pulled back the edge of their TOUGH and showed the person their FEAR; just for a second. The person sat quietly and did not speak. Then carefully they too pulled back the edge of their TOUGH and showed their FEAR. The friend saw the LONELY underneath. Then the friend gently reached out and touched the person's FEAR, and then the LONELY....... The friend's touch was like magic. A feeling of ACCEPTANCE appeared on the person's sleeve, and the TOUGH and ANGRY had become smaller. The person then knew that whenever someone gave them ACCEPTANCE, they would need less TOUGH, and then there would be more room to show PROUD..... SAD ....... LOVING.... STRONG.... GOOD.... WARM... HURT... FEAR....
Ack. Chris Davidson of the Quest Institute UK – author unknown Clare’s notes – this is an extremely powerful therapeutic metaphor and I would suggest (for anyone with the professional capacity to share this story) that one way to do so would be to read it out then hand it to the listener to keep.
28.
Five Monkeys
Challenging the Status Quo, Choice, Culture
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the srcinal five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third srcinal monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. After replacing the fourth and fifth srcinal monkeys, all the monkeys that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been around here.
Author unknown, ack. Jamie Moodie Clare’s notes – This is probably more urban myth than a valid experiment (the source is yet to be found), nevertheless it highlights the meaning clearly and in a memorable manner.
29.
Flat Tyre
Integrity, Values
There’s a story of 4 college students that stayed out too late the night before a midterm exam and missed their early morning class. The young men, realizing they’d missed the test, knew they had to come up with something fast for why they were late. So they rushed in to see the professor and told him that they had suffered a flat tyre on their way to the class and pleaded for the opportunity to take the exam the next day. To their astonishment, the professor gleefully agreed. “Sure”, he said. “Meet me here tomorrow and, understanding of your unfortunate circumstances, I’ll allow you to take the exam tomorrow”. Off they went, kicking their heels that the ploy had worked. The next morning when they arrived, the professor asked them to each go to a different room and then he would provide them with the test. The test had only one question. Which tyre was flat?
Author unknown © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 30.
Flipping out on Eggs
Awareness, Different Perspectives, Trust
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. "Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful . CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!" The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you? Have you gone completely stark raving bonkers? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?" The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this is a great little ice-breaker story that I sometimes use to introduce the concept of developing self awareness and trust. I have a true story closely related to this and after I read this I left my partner to work his magic in the kitchen – and without interference from me!
31.
Fred and Mabel
Consequences of Assumptions
Fred and Mabel were both patients in a mental hospital. One day as they both walked beside the swimming pool, Mabel jumped into the deep end and sank to the bottom. Without a thought for his own safety, Fred jumped in after her, brought her to the surface, hauled her out, gave her the kiss of life and saved her. The next day happened to be Fred's annual review. He was brought before the hospital board, where the director told him, "Fred, I have some good news and some bad news: the good news is that in light of your heroic act yesterday, we consider that you are sane and can be released from this home back into society. The bad news is I'm afraid that Mabel, the patient you saved, shortly afterwards hung herself in the bathroom with the belt from her bathrobe. I'm sorry but she's dead" "She didn't hang herself," Fred replied, "I put her there to dry."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – one act the whole play doth not make J How often do we act on one piece of evidence only to find that our perspective was a little skew-whiff!
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 32.
Frog in a Milk Pail
Choice, Persistence, Resilience
A frog was hopping around a farmyard, when it decided to investigate the barn. Being somewhat careless, and maybe a little too curious, he ended up falling into a pail half-filled with fresh milk. As he swam about attempting to reach the top of the pail, he found that the sides of the pail were too high and steep to reach. He tried to stretch his back legs to push off the bottom of the pail but found it too deep. But this frog was determined not to give up, and he continued to struggle. He kicked and squirmed and kicked and squirmed, until at last, all his churning about in the milk had turned the milk into a big hunk of butter. The butter was now solid enough for him to climb onto and get out of the pail!
Author unknown
33.
Gandhi and Sugar
Integrity, Leadership, Values
A woman once came to Gandhi and asked him to please tell her son to give up eating sugar. Gandhi asked the woman to bring the boy back in a week. Exactly one week later the woman returned, and Gandhi said to the boy, "Please give up eating sugar." The woman thanked the Mahatma, and, as she turned to go, asked him why he had not said those words a week ago." Gandhi replied, "Because a week ago, I had not given up eating sugar."
Clare’s notes – if,it as leaders, walked our to the extent of Ghandi, what difference could make? I amwe human and a talk lifelong apprentice!
34.
Gingernuts at the Airport
Consequences of Assumptions
At the airport after a tiring business trip a lady's return flight was delayed. She went to the airport shop, bought a book, a coffee and a small packet containing five gingernut biscuits. The airport was crowded and she found a seat in the lounge, next to a stranger. After a few minutes reading she became absorbed in her book. She took a biscuit from the packet and began to drink her coffee. To her great surprise, the stranger in the next seat calmly took one of the biscuits and ate it. Stunned, she couldn't bring herself to say anything, nor even to look at the stranger. Nervously she continued reading. After a few minutes she slowly picked up and ate the third biscuit. Incredibly, the stranger took the fourth gingernut and ate it, then to the woman's amazement; he picked up the packet and offered her the last biscuit. This being too much to tolerate, the lady angrily picked up her belongings, gave the stranger an indignant scowl and marched off to the boarding gate, where her flight was now ready. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life As she reached inside her bag to get her boarding ticket, guess what she found? Her as yet unopened packet of gingernuts! Apparently the story appears in a variety of urban legends dating from at least 30 years ago, and is also described in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Clare’s notes – this is by far one of my favourite metaphors for highlighting the dangers of making assumptions and being quick to judge. I use it in ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ in the ‘Use of Props’ section. I will usually personalise this story using a colleague as the main character; if they’ve heard it before they always forgive me.
35.
(The) Great as if
Courage, Leadership, Wisdom
This is the story of a young prince who was destined to be the king of his country. Now, this young prince had some concerns about being king, for he was worried about his ability to be a leader. One day, he got out of bed waddling and quacking like a duck and refused to eat anything but duck food. The king was greatly upset so he called in the wisest man in the kingdom. When told of the situation, the wise man said, "Give me three days with the prince and he will be cured." The wise man went to the door of the prince's room, knocked, and was invited in. He waddled into the room quacking like a duck. The prince and the wise man soon became good friends. That night the wise man slipped out of the prince's room and told the king to have clothes placed on the chairs for the next morning. When morning came, the wise man got out of bed, waddled across the room quacking like a duck, and put on his clothes. The prince said to him, "You can't be a duck...ducks can't wear clothes." The wise man replied, "Where is it written that a duck can't wear clothes?" The prince said, "Well, I guess you are right." And he, too, put on his clothes. That night, the wise man again slipped out of the prince's room and told the king to put duck food on a plate and put the plate on the table. The next morning, the wise man got out of bed, waddled across the room quacking like a duck, put on his clothes, sat down at the table and began to eat from the plate. The prince said, "You can't be a duck...ducks don't eat from a plate." The wise man replied, "Where is it written that a duck can't eat from a plate?" The young prince said, "I guess you are right." And he began to eat from the plate. That night, the wise man told the king to put human food on the plate, and place a fork by the plate. The next morning, the wise man got out of bed waddled across the room quacking like a duck, put on his clothes, sat down at the table, picked up the fork and began to eat. The young prince said, "You can't be a duck...ducks don't use forks." The wise man responded, "Where is it written that a duck can't use a fork?" The prince said, "I guess you are right." And he, too, picked up a fork and began to eat. Later that day, the wise man said to the prince, "I must return to my own barnyard today, but I would like to leave you with this advice: Remember that our national holiday is coming up next week and as you know our nation's favorite food for the holiday is duck. If you don't want to end up as someone's main course for the holiday meal, continue to act as if you were a prince." The prince did such a good job of acting as if he were a prince that he eventually became the greatest king his country ever had.
© Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Reprinted with permission of Chaplain Paul Durbin www.durbinhypnosis.com Clare’s notes – great leaders find a way to help people through their fears and be who they were meant to be – even if the route is a little unusual! If you’re audience doesn’t like ‘shaggy dog’ stories though – choose a shorter one!
36.
The History of Gunpowder
Innovation
Chinese Taoist alchemists were the major force behind the early invention of gunpowder. Emperor Wu Di (156-87 B.C.) of the Han dynasty financed research done by the alchemists on the secrets of eternal life. The alchemists experimented with the sulphur and saltpeter heating the substances in order to transform them. The alchemist Wei Boyang wrote the Book of the Kinship of the Three detailing the experiments made by the alchemists. During the 8th century Tang dynasty, sulphur and saltpeter were first combined with charcoal to create an explosive called huoyao or gunpowder. A substance that did not encourage eternal life, however, gunpowder was used to treat skin diseases and as a fumigant to kill insects before its advantage as a weapon was made clear. The Chinese began experimenting with the gunpowder filled tubes. At some point, they attached bamboo tubes to arrows and launched them with bows. Soon they discovered that these gunpowder tubes could launch themselves just by the power produced from the escaping gas. The true rocket was born.
Source - wiki.answers.com Clare’s notes – there are many stories around that talk of how certain products or substances were invented and their ‘accidental benefits’. Using stories like this to set the scene for product innovation brainstorming can be helpful and provoke discussion.
37.
How to Poison Your Mother-in-Law
Attitude, Different Perspectives, Forgiveness, Personality type
A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law’s habits. In addition, she criticised Li-Li constantly. Days passed days, and weeks passed weeks. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li’s poor husband great distress. Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it. Li-Li went to see her father’s good friend, Mr Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Mr Huang thought for a while, and finally said, Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you. Li-Li said, “Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do.” Mr Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, “You can’t use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don’t argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.” Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr.Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn’t had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with. The mother-in-law’s attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in- law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see what was happening. One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said, “Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law! She’s changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.” Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. “Li-Li, there’s nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.”
Author unknown – ack. Janet Carew Clare’s notes – people start to smile three quarters a way through this story as they know how the ending will unfold yet you can see them nodding and struggling internally with the need to accept difference or tolerate it, yet the difficulty of ‘how’.
38.
(The) Hundredth Monkey
Adapting to Change, Culture, Vision
The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too. This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes. Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes - the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima who hadthe learned to wash their sweet potatoes. further suppose that laterIsland that morning, hundredth monkey learned to washLet's potatoes. THEN IT HAPPENED! By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough! But notice. A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea. Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes. Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind. Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!
Ack. Lawrence Blair and Lyall Watson Clare’s notes – there’s a lot of dispute around the authenticity of this story but if we look beyond that it is a strong metaphor for the ripple effect and tipping points in epidemics. I have used this story before when working with teams in the context of change and maintaining a positive mindset in the darkest hours.
39.
I Have a Dream
Inspiration, Leadership, Living your Truth, Vision
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light injustice. of hope toItmillions who to had been in the of withering came asofaNegro joyousslaves daybreak end theseared long night of flames their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now beAnd content a ruderest awakening if the nation returns to business usual. therewill willhave be neither nor tranquility in America until the Negroasis granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.We And as weturn walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. cannot back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: ‘For Whites Only.’ We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream." I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the of persecution and suffering. staggeredContinue by the winds of police brutality. You have beenstorms the veterans of creative to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its Governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification’. One day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2 This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. And this will be the day - this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let mountains of New Let freedom freedom ring ring from from the the mighty heightening Alleghenies ofYork. Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! Dr Martin Luther King Jr - August 28th 1963
40.
IF
Integrity, Leadership, Resilience, Values
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you but make allowance for their doubting too If you can wait and not be tired by waiting Or being lied about, don't deal in lies Or being hated, don't give way to hating And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise If you can dream - and not make dreams your master If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat these two impostors just the same If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools or watch the things you gave your life to, broken and stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss and lose, and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you If all men count with you, but none too much If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! By Rudyard Kipling
Spoken at my father’s funeral by my brother Geoff
41.
Inaugural Address speech by Nelson Mandela
Forgiveness, Leadership, Wisdom
Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Distinguished Guests, Comrades and friends: Today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world, confer glory and hope to newborn liberty. Out of the experience of anall extraordinary disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which humanity willhuman be proud. Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all. All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today. To my compatriots, I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld. Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. The national mood changes as the seasons change. We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom. That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains the depth of the pain we all carried in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in a terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life We, the people of South Africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil. We thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity. We trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, non-sexism, non-racialism and democracy. We deeply appreciate the role that the masses of our people and their political mass democratic, religious, women, youth, business, traditional and other leaders have played to bring about this conclusion. Not least among them is my Second Deputy President, the Honourable F.W. de Klerk. We would also like to pay tribute to our security forces, in all their ranks, for the distinguished role they have played in securing our first democratic elections and the transition to democracy, from blood-thirsty forces which still refuse to see the light. The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us. We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace. We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity-a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world. As a token of its commitment to the renewal of our country, the new Interim Government of National Unity will, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of amnesty for various categories of our people who are currently serving terms of imprisonment. We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free. Their dreams have become reality. Freedom is their reward. We are both humbled and elevated by the honour and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness. We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom. We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world. Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfil themselves.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign. The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement! God bless Africa! Nelson Mandela May 10th 1994
42.
Invictus
Accountability, Choice, Courage
Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul. By William Ernest Henley
43.
It couldn’t be done
Attitude, Optimism, Persistence, Resilience
Somebody said that it couldn't be done, But, he with a chuckle replied That "maybe it couldn't" but he would be one Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn't be done, as he did it. Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that At least no one we coat knowand hashe done But he took off his tookit"off his hat and the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin Without any doubting or quiddit He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn't be done, and he did it There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done There are thousands to prophesy failure There are thousands to point out to you, one by one The dangers that wait to assail you But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin Just take off your coat and go to it Just start to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done, and you'll do it! By Edgar Guest
Clare’s notes – this poem has a fun rhythm and is highly motivating for possibility thinking. It’s also great for popping on noticeboards or sending to staff just for the sake of it. ‘Quiddit’ very roughly translated means quibble.
44.
Judge Gently
Acceptance, Different Perspectives, Integrity
Pray don't find fault with the man who limps or stumbles along the road, unless you have worn the shoes he wears or struggled beneath his load. There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt, though hidden away from view, or the cause burdenyou he to bears, placed might stumble too.on your back Don't sneer at the man who's down today unless you have felt the blow that caused his fall or felt the shame that only the fallen know. You may be strong, but still the blows that were his if dealt to you, in the selfsame way, at the selfsame time, might cause you to stagger too. Don't be too harsh with the man who sins or pelt him with word or stone, unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure, that you have no sins of your own for you know perhaps if the tempter's voice should whisper as softly to you as it did to him when he went astray, it might cause you to stumble too.
I have been unable to locate the author of this poem Clare’s notes – I love this poem, it’s simple message is one that, if pursued by every individual, would make our homes and businesses more pleasurable places to be. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 45.
Knowing where to Tap
Lateral Thinking, Wisdom
A boilermaker who was hired to fix a huge steamship boiler system that was not working well. After listening to the engineer’s description of the problems and asking a few questions, he went to the boiler room. He looked at the maze of twisting pipes, listened to the thump of the boiler and the hiss of escaping steam for a few minutes, and felt some pipes with his hands. Then he hummed softly to himself, reached into his overalls and took out a small hammer, and tapped a bright red valve, once. Immediately the entire system began working perfectly, and the boilermaker went home. When the steamship owner received a bill for $1,000 he complained that the boilermaker had only been in the engine room for fifteen minutes, and requested an itemised bill. This is what the boilermaker sent him: For tapping with hammer: For knowing where to tap: Total:
$ 1.00 $ 999.00 $1000.00
Author unknown Clare’s notes – how many of us reading this could benefit from the self-assurance and wisdom of the boilermaker!
46.
Law of the Garbage Truck
Attitude, Resilience, Wisdom
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving along when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, resentments, anger, and frustration; so ..
Author unknown © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Clare’s notes – I was sent this story on an email and use it sometimes when talking about the difference between reacting and responding and the consequences of each. I believe that a metaphor like this could soon become part of a workplace or family culture with each of being reminded about our ‘garbage’ when we let other people’s ‘stuff’ get to us.
47.
Lessons on Teamwork from Geese
Teamwork, Values Fact 1: As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an ‘uplift’ for the birds that follow. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. Fact 2: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it. Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others. Fact 3: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position. Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other’s skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents, and resources. Fact 4: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep going! Lesson: We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement, which is to listen to one’s own heart or core values, and to listen to the core values of others, is the quality of honking we seek. Fact 5: When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation of geese and try to catch up with the flock. Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
Source unknown Clare’s notes – even though this is a well-known analogy I still use it as an exercise and ask teams to provide evidence of how ‘goosy’ their team is and what they can do get more honking in the team.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 48.
Lightening the Load
Adapting to Change, Courage, Taking Risks, Teamwork, Trust Part 1
Not too long ago, in a land far away, there was a traveller who was embarking on a new journey to the top of the mountain. He’d done the trip before but in very different circumstances, so he knew the journey wouldn’t be an easy one. He was familiar with many of the challenges that lay ahead and so he had packed for all eventualities. As he started out, excited yet with some trepidation, he was pleased with how he navigated the first crossing of the streams and hesitated a little at the first ravine but managed it, despite his heavy load. Just before his first rest stop he met a man coming the other way. This old chap was dressed a little oddly and not exactly equipped for the journey but seemed happy and coping well with the terrain. He asked if he could join the traveller and they struck up a conversation, he was welcome of the company. “My, that’s a heavy load you’re carrying” the old man said eyeing the back pack on the floor. “Not really said the traveller. You have to be prepared for all eventualities, especially when you don’t know what’s ahead of you”. “So tell me then, what’s in the backpack?” “Well said the traveller a little hesitantly, I’ve got the usual supplies, food, clothes, medical supplies and some other stuff” “Stuff?” Enquired the old man. “How is your ‘stuff’ helping you on your journey”? “Well it’s not immediately” replied the traveller, “but if I meet with some adversity it’ll helping certainlyme stand me in good stead”. “Ah I see, said the old man, “and just what sort of ‘adversity’ are you expecting on this journey?” “Haven’t you heard of the Yeti?” said the traveller, “some people call it Bigfoot or the Yowie - it’s a real monster and about 10 feet tall” “Really” said the old man, “and how many people have seen this Yeti?” “Well, none that I know of yet” “and when was the last reported sighting?” “erm – about 1954” “Good luck” said the old man scratching his head, and carried on his way Part 2
So the traveller heaved his backpack onto his back and carried on his way into the second stage of his journey. As he was walking he recounted the conversation with the old man and now something just wasn’t sitting comfortably with him.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Why didn’t he want the old man to know what was in his back pack? When he packed them he was so proud of himself that they would serve him well and protect him, now he was feeling uneasy and even a little silly at the thought of the weight of his load and how it was slowing him down from reaching the summit, his ultimate goal. ‘But what if I dumped the load and then came face to face with the Yeti? I’d feel even sillier then; I’d really be regretting my actions and wishing I’d held on to them’. And as he walked and stumbled across the rough terrain his thoughts kept going back to his load. He’d actually grown quite fond of his ‘stuff’ and it really felt like a part of him. Then he’d cast his mind back to the knowing glance of the old man before they parted ways and felt confused again, and again, felt a little bit silly. ‘Well that’s his problem’ the traveller said to himself and decided to carry on, despite the shooting pains in his back. An hour or so passed and as he turned the corner, getting ready for his last rest break before heading for the summit, he turned the corner and caught his first glimpse of the summit and it was breathtaking. He could see so clearly what lay ahead of him and in that instant forgot all about the yeti or any other ‘eventuality’ that he might encounter. Now that he had such a clear vision of the summit he could feel the energy and strength filling his limbs and loved the feeling of excitement that was surging through him. ‘One last quick rest stop then there’s nothing stopping me’. Just as he sat down and took out an energy bar from his pocket, he was brought back down to earth with a bump as he spotted the old man coming towards him from the summit. ‘How can this be possible he thought to himself, he was descending the mountain last time we met?’ “So, young traveller, what do you think of the journey ahead now that you have seen your goal?” “I am so excited” said the traveller, “nothing but nothing will stop me from reaching this, I feel like I have twice the energy from when I started the journey” “Impressive” said the old man, “and what about the challenges that lie ahead, how will you cope with those?” “Same way as I was always going to cope” was the reply “Ah – so you still have your ‘stuff’ then” smiled the old man eying the still bulging backpack on the floor. “Well of course. Just because I can see the summit doesn’t mean that I won’t have challenges so I still need to be prepared. This stuff protects me” “From the 10 foot Yeti you mean?” “Well, erm, yes there’s that and all the other eventualities” “Then I wishand youyou much luck” said theyour old ‘stuff’ man “for is tough dangerous, might find that will the notascent help you in the and way you have intended it to. God speed” and with that the old man turned the corner and was gone. As the traveller heaved his backpack on for the last time, he turned his eyes to the snow covered floor and was totally perplexed – the old man had left no footprints…. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Part 3
And so the final ascent was close approaching. The traveller was in a strange mood, energised and excited about reaching his goals ahead but that stupid old man had started to put doubts in his head about his protective load and his quip about it not helping him in the way he intended. ‘Stupid old fool’ he thought, ‘can’t even dress right for mountain climbing’. The road indeed was becoming increasingly difficult to traverse and the inclines becoming ever steeper with every twist and turn. ‘You’ve come this far on your own’ he thought ‘not much farther, you can do it’. As he turned a corner to make his final ascent a scene greeted him that he was not expecting. There were 5 people crowded around a young man on a ridge who was obviously injured. The other climbers had taken off their outer jackets and were keeping him warm and were deep in discussion that at first they didn’t see the traveller approach. One of the men looked around. “Thank God!” he shouted, “you’ve been sent to save us!” “Well, not exactly” replied the traveller, “I’m just on the same journey as you. What’s happened?” “Jim here has had an accident and we think he may have broken his ankle. He is desperate to reach the summit and we believe there’s a way we can do it but we needed one more person and you came around the corner!” “So how on earth are you going to get him to the top?” asked the traveller. “WE are going to pool all our strength, skills and resources and together we’re going to stretcher Jim up” “Miracles I can do” smiled the traveller, “but the impossible takes a little longer!” “No no, this really is achievable and fairly straightforward” said the man who appeared to have been voted team leader. “We each empty our backpacks and tie them together making a stretcher and we can stretcher Jim to the top. Are you prepared to help us?” ‘What am I going to do?’ thought the traveller. ‘This means dumping my stuff for good because the angle is so steep, I’ll lose everything. I’ll be left vulnerable and unprotected. This wasn’t how I envisaged the final step to be.’ “Well what are you waiting for?” asked the team leader. “We’ll start to lose light in the next hour so we need to be quick. Do you trust us to do this, more importantly do you trust yourself?” In that instant something shifted and traveller made a decision. He opened his backpack and his ‘stuff’ came tumbling out. Rocks - one, two, three, four, five, six, and on and on. They must have counted at least 20 all tumbling down the mountain. Not a torch, nor a knife, nor a first aid kit in sight, just rocks, rocks, rocks. “Ah you must be in training for the SAS, no-one in their right mind would choose to carry that load!” said the team leader, - this is fantastic, thank you!” ‘In for a penny, in for a pound’ whispered the traveller to himself as he took a leap towards the team and in true SAS style said “come on, let’s complete our mission” © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Author Clare Edwards Clare’s notes – I use this story on team development programs and split it into 3 throughout the day. I do actually read it (as opposed to remembering it) and I place it inside an old book, exaggerating each time I pickup the book, sit down and pause. It’s a fairly obvious metaphor yet one which provides a platform for dialogue with dysfunctional teams.
49.
(The) Lion’s Whisker
Different Perspectives, Values, Wisdom
In a remote village in Ethiopia lived a young husband and wife. Once very happy, their marriage was now in trouble. The husband began to come home late from working in the fields and pay less attention to his wife. His wife, though still in love was becoming despondent and prayed for things to return to how they once were. She decided to visit the village medicine man and tell her tale of woe. "I want my husband to be loving and attentive again and I want to be as loving as I was in the beginning. We are both unhappy and thinking of ending our marriage." The medicine man listened then offered the woman hope in the form of a magic potion that would transform her husband once again into a loving man. "Please prepare the potion immediately!" the young woman exclaimed. The medicine man explained that the most important ingredient was missing and she would have to fetch it for him. "I will fetch it straightaway. Tell me what it is and how to find it" "I need a single whisker taken from a living lion to make the potion work." “But this is impossible”, wailed the wife “How shall I ever achieve this?” “You will find a way” and with that the Medicine man bid her good day. The next morning, the young wife carried a huge piece of raw meat down to the river where lions sometimes came to drink. She hid behind a tree and waited. After waiting many hours, a lion ambled down to the river to have a drink. He sniffed at the raw meat. In three bites, the meat was gone. He raised his mighty head. He knew she was there. The young wife held her breath. The mighty lion moved slowly back into the forest and disappeared. The next day, the young woman came back. This time, the lion appeared quite quickly. This continued for many days. Days became weeks. Each day, the woman crept from her hiding place behind the tree, moving closer and closer to the lion. After six weeks, she moved quietly next to the lion and sat silently while he ate. After finishing his meal he rolled over and fell into a deep lion sleep. The woman pulled a sharpened knife from her robe, crawled over to the lion and stealthily cut the whisker close to his skin. She set foot en route to the medicine man.
“Now I can have my magic potion and save my marriage!” she exclaimed. "You do not need magic to change your husband back into the loving man he once was” said the wise man softly. “Take all the courage, patience, trust and respect that you learned from the lion back with you to your husband and watch what unfolds”.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The young wife returned to her village and did as she was asked. Gradually her husband began to pay her more attention and the essence of the man she fell in love with unfolded with the days. Within a year, their life was happy once more.
Author unknown Clare’s Notes - there are many versions of this Ethiopian parable and depending on your message you can replace the characters in the story for children, siblings, friends or for a business perspective, even colleagues.
50.
(The) Lost Keys
Accountability, Living your Truth
It's dusk and a man is on his knees searching under a streetlight for the keys he has dropped. He is joined by his neighbour who helps him search and asks "Where exactly did you drop them?" "Oh, I dropped them in my back garden," replies the man, "but I am looking for them here because the light is so much better."
Clare’s notes - I first heard this story listening to an audio CD of Dr Wayne Dyer who asked us to consider why, when the problem lies inside, we look to the outside for the solution…?
51.
The Man who thinks he can
Attitude, Persistence, Resilience
If you think you’re beaten, you are If you think you dare not, you don’t If you’d like to win, but think you can’t It’s almost certain you won’t If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost for out in the world we find Success begins with a fellow’s will It’s all in a state of mind If you think you’re outclassed, you are You’ve got to think high to rise You’ve got to be sure of yourself If you want to obtain the prize Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man But sooner or later the man who wins IS THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN
By Walter D Wittle (sometimes attributed to Napoleon Hill as it appears in his book ‘Think and Grow Rich’) Clare’s notes – yes it’s a tad old fashioned as we read it now and I often recite the last line as PERSON but the message is clear and can help to give us a kick up the proverbial when we need it!
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 52.
(The) Meditation Cat
Challenging the Status Quo, Culture
When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat, who lived in the monastery, made such noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. When the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly essays about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.
Zen story
53.
(The) Messiah in disguise
Acceptance, Culture, Teamwork, Values
High in the mountains was a monastery that had once been known throughout the world. Its monks were pious, its students were enthusiastic. The chants from the monastery’s chapel deeply touched the hearts of people who came there to pray and meditate. But, something had changed. Fewer and fewer young men came to study there; fewer and fewer people came for spiritual nourishment. The monks who remained became disheartened and sad. Deeply worried, the Abbot of the monastery went off in search of an answer. Why had his monastery fallen on such hard times? The Abbot came to a guru, and he asked the master, “Is it because of some sin of ours that the monastery is no longer full of vitality?” “Yes,” replied the master, “it is the sin of ignorance.” “The sin of ignorance?” questioned the Abbot. “Of what are we ignorant?” The guru looked at the Abbot for a long, long time, and then he said, “One of you is the messiah in disguise. But, you are all ignorant of this.” Then, the guru closed his eyes, and he was silent. “The messiah?” thought the Abbot. “The messiah is one of us? Who could it be? Could it be Brother Cook? Could it be Brother Treasurer? Could it be Brother BellRinger? Could it be Brother Vegetable Grower? “Which one? Which one? Every one of us has faults, failings, human defects. Isn’t the messiah supposed to be perfect? But, then, perhaps these faults and failings are part of his disguise. Which one? Which one?” When the Abbot returned to the monastery, he gathered all the monks together and told them what the guru had said. “One of us? The messiah? Impossible!” But, the master had spoken, and the master was never wrong. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life “One of us? The messiah? Incredible! But, it must be so. Which one? Which one? That brother over there? That one? That one?” Whichever one of the monks was the Messiah, he was, surely, in disguise. Not knowing who amongst them was the Messiah, all the monks began treating each other with new respect. “You never know,” they thought, “he might be the one, so I had better deal with him kindly.” It was not long before the monastery was filled with new found joy. Soon, new students came to learn, and people came from far and wide to be inspired by the chants of the kind, smiling monks. For once again, the monastery was filled with the spirit of love and respect.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this is one of my favourites and one I use often when running team development programs. Often the discussion around the metaphor is that of ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ and team members make a conscious effort to rerespect their peers.
54.
(The) Mexican Fisherman
Choice, Different Perspectives
An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The banker then asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life." The banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the banker replied, "15-20 years." "But what then?"
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The banker laughed and said that was the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very very, rich. You would make millions!" "Millions. Then what?" The banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
Author unknown ack. Jamie Moodie Clare’s notes – Jamie would often open his workshops with this story and it set the scene for his audience be respectful that, in the room, each participant had hisperfectly or her individual drivers,toobjectives and outcomes.
55.
(The) Mouse Trap
Attitude, Teamwork
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house; like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so farmer friends butchered and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – another forwarded email, I like the simplicity of this metaphor and would ask when working with teams (or a family) would continue the metaphor in term of “how does our farm look today?”
56.
Murphy’s Plough
Consequences of Assumptions, Perception
McGinty, a farmer, needed to plough his field before the dry spell set in, but his own plough had broken. "I know, I'll ask my neighbour, farmer Murphy, to borrow his plough. He's a good man; I'm sure he'll have done his ploughing by now and he'll be glad to lend me his machine." So McGinty began to walk the three or four fields to Murphy's farm. After a field of walking, McGinty says to himself, "I hope that Murphy has finished all his own ploughing or he'll not be able to lend me his machine..." Then after a few more minutes of worrying and walking, McGinty says to himself, "And what if Murphy's plough is old and on its last legs - he'll never be wanting to lend it to me will he?.." And after another field, McGinty says, "Murphy was never a very helpful fellow, I reckon maybe he won't be too keen to lend me his plough even if it's in perfect working order and he's finished all his own ploughing weeks ago...." As McGinty arrives at Murphy's farm, McGinty is thinking, "That old Murphy can be a mean old fellow. I reckon even if he's got all his ploughing done, and his own machine is sitting there doing nothing, he'll not lend it to me just so watch me go to ruin..." McGinty walks up Murphy's front path, knocks on the door, and Murphy answers. "Well good morning Mr McGinty, what can I do for you?" says Murphy. And McGinty says, with eyes bulging, "You can take your bloomin’ plough and you can stick it where the sun don’t shine!"
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I found this story on Businessballs and have changed the ending to be slightly more polite J I love this story and use it to illustrate a model I share when working with people called ‘the ladder of inference’.
57.
Nails in the Fence
Accountability, Wisdom
There once was an angry teenager who had a very short temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, sadly the wound is still there."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I believe you could adapt this story for adults to equal effect and substitute anger for jumping to conclusions, making accusations, mind-reading and making assumptions.
58.
NASA
Vision
A good example for enrolling the internal people in the vision involves President John F Kennedy. When he was touring NASA, the President met a man who, it turned out, was a janitor. He introduced himself as Jack and when he asked the janitor “so what do you do around here?” the man answered, "I'm helping to put a man on the moon."
Original source unknown Clare’s notes – this may well be an urban myth but, like the stonecutter and cathedral story, it’sclarity a greatonlittle setvision the scene forencourage encouraging people to think big, to get theirmetaphor directionto and and to dialogue around motivating the masses.
59.
One Thousand Marbles
Different Perspectives, Prioritisation
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it: I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's ‘dance recital’ he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy five years. "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. It took me until I was fifty five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays." "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear." "Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight." "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time." "It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 Year old Man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
Author unknown Clare’s notes – (a forwarded email) I don’t usually recall the whole story but have left it ‘as is’ for you to get the whole picture. I usually introduce the concept of time and work life balance conversationally then ask people how many Saturdays they think they still have left to enjoy. It’s a good wake up call.
60.
Our Deepest Fear
Empowerment, Inspiration
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous”? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson from ‘A Return to Love’ (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela)
Clare’s notes – I have found this piece of prose invaluable when working one on one with someone who has lost their way, feels small or doubts the contribution they are making. I find it also a good self-reminder and keep a copy in my purse.
61.
Parachutes
Culture, Gratitude, Teamwork
Charles Plumb was a navy jet pilot. On his seventy-sixth combat mission, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy territory. He was captured and spent six years in prison. He survived and now lectures on the lessons he learned from his experiences. One day, a man approached Plumb and his wife in a restaurant, and said, "Are you Plumb the navy pilot?" "Yes, how did you know?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb was amazed - and grateful: "If the chute you packed hadn't worked I wouldn't be here today..." Plumb refers to this in his lectures: his realisation that the anonymous sailors who packed the parachutes held the pilots' lives in their hands, and yet the pilots never gave these sailors a second thought; never even said hello, let alone said thanks. Now Plumb asks his audiences, "Who packs your parachutes?..... Who helps you through your life?.... Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually?....... Think about who helps you; recognise them and say thanks."
Clare’s notes – you can read more about this exceptional man at his website www.charlieplumb.com. I still struggle to tell this story without getting a little emotional! It is such a powerful metaphor for collegiality, inspiring a culture of mateship and acknowledging everyone’s role in the company/family/club.
62.
Playing a Violin with Three Strings
Adapting to Change, Innovation, Inspiration, Leadership, Resilience
On Nov. 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Centre in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight. © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play. By now, the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair. They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play. But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do. We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signalled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before. Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him modulating, changing, re-composing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said - not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."
Author Jack Riemer Clare’s notes – what gifts potentially lie within us when we don’t label something as good or bad, take a moment to respond and make the most of the situation we are given. This story inspires me to have more self-confidence and take the leap. It is a highly sensory metaphor for adapting to change.
63.
(The) Poodle & the Leopard
Courage, Initiative, Lateral Thinking, Wisdom
A wealthy old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, taking her faithful aged poodle named Cuddles, along for the company. One day the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long, Cuddles discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The old poodle thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap the old poodle exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder if there are any more around here?" Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!" says the leopard, "That was close! That old poodle nearly had me!" Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes, but the old poodle sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!” Now, the old poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old poodle says. "Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!
Author unknown Clare’s notes – (another email forward) this story never fails to raise a chuckle and yet its message runs deep. There is always a solution, maybe I just haven’t found it yet….
64.
Portrait of an Achiever!
Leadership, Persistence, Resilience
Failed in Business - Bankruptcy, 1831 Defeated for Legislature, 1832 Failed in Business - Bankruptcy, 1834 Sweetheart - Fiancée Dies, 1835 Nervous Breakdown, 1836 Defeated in Election, 1838 Defeated for U.S. Congress. 1846 Defeated again for U.S. Congress, 1848 Defeated for U.S. Senate, 1855 Defeated for U.S. Vice President, 1856 Defeated again for U.S. Senate, 1858 ABRAHAM LINCOLN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A., 1860 "You cannot fail . . . unless you quit!"
Photo Wikimedia Commons
Source unknown Clare’s notes – I love reading this out then asking my audience to guess who we’re talking about then release the name. Abe Lincoln gets my vote as one of the greatest bouncers that ever lived!
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 65.
Prize Cow
Challenging the Status Quo, Finding the Gift in the Challenge, Taking Risks
Once upon a time there was a wise old rabbi who travelled the land with his young apprentice. At each village they passed through, the rabbi would seek out the house of a family he had been guided through prayer to be of assistance to, and they would take up lodging with the family for the night. Sometimes the houses were grand and sometimes simple, but wherever they stayed, the families lives would in some way be transformed by his visit. One day, the rabbi and his apprentice arrived at a particularly poor village and to the apprentice's dismay, the rabbi sought out the poorest home in the village to request lodging. Although the house itself was barely a shack, there was a healthy cow standing by itself, tethered to a post in the middle of the shack's tiny, dirt filled yard. As was the custom, the rabbi and his apprentice were welcomed into the home of this poor but proud family and shared in what little food there was. After the meal, the somewhat sickly head of the household explained how blessed they were that despite their abject poverty, they were able to maintain their prize milking cow that always provided them with just enough to get by. The lives of the family revolved around the care and feeding of this cow, with all their spare time and any spare money going towards its upkeep. The rabbi nodded and smiled as he listened to their stories, and when the head of the household explained apologetically that he had to get up very early to feed and milk the cow, everyone went off to sleep. But in the middle of the night, the rabbi woke his apprentice and led him out to the small yard where the cow was tethered. To the apprentice's dismay, the rabbi swiftly killed the cow and they left the house before the sun had climbed up into the sky from its eastern bed. Despite all the apprentice's entreaties, the rabbi refused to explain his actions, saying only that "things are not always as we think them to be." Several years passed, and the apprentice had abandoned his apprenticeship and begun travelling on his own. Although he had learned much from the wise old rabbi, he had never forgotten the incident with the cow, and he realized that he himself could never become a rabbi or truly be at peace with himself until he went back to the village and confessed what they had done. As he approached the village, the young man's mind was filled to overflowing about what sad fate had befallen that poor but proud family after the death of their one and only prize cow. Yet when he arrived at the spot where the old shack had been, in it's place stood a much nicer house, and what had been a small dirt yard was now a much larger field filled with corn and wheat. Convinced that the family had lost their home and it had been taken over by wealthy landowners, he approached a strong looking man walking through the field to find out what had become of the poor family. To his surprise, it was the same head of the household who had seemed so sickly when last they met, and when he explained who he was he was welcomed back with open arms and as was the custom, invited to share a hearty meal with the family and spend the night under their sturdy roof. Awed by the transformation in the family's health and fortunes, the former apprentice asked, with some trepidation, what had become of their prize cow.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
"Well," said the head of the household with a twinkle in his eye, "it was the strangest thing. The very night you left we awoke to find our cow had been murdered, no doubt by some neighbours jealous of our prize possession. At first, of course, we were devastated, and we wondered if were being punished in some way for not being worthy of our good fortune. Then, of necessity, we began to explore a new way of taking care of ourselves. It was my daughter who first suggested that we attempt to grow vegetables in that small patch of dirt which had once been home to our cow, and that was successful beyond our wildest dreams." "Not only were we able to feed ourselves, but we had enough crop left over to sell at market. We reinvested our profits in the land and soon enough we were able to buy our neighbour’s plot as well. Creating our own farm reinvigorated my spirit, and soon my health began to return as well. Now, we are truly blessed in that we are able to bless others with our abundance." The former apprentice was stunned into silence, and after a long night in a warm, comfortable bed, he thanked the family for their kindness and returned to the road. As he contemplated all that had happened, he decided to return to the wise old rabbi to complete his training. I was all set to offer up the moral of the story but my would-be client declined, having already realised what mortgaging his life to the care and upkeep of his own "prize cow" was costing him.
Story retold with permission by Michael O’Neill of Genius Catalyst and srcinating from the Jewish Hasidic stories Clare’s notes – it’s quite easy to reduce the length of this story if you want to or elaborate on it acting out the characters. It’s such a clear example of finding the ‘blessing in disguise’ and is effective when working to help people improve resilience and expand their comfort zone.
66.
Quick to judge
Consequences of Assumptions
One foul cold rainy evening I was approaching a parking spot in a full car park just beside the chemist. I needed to get cold and flu treatments for all the family. As I turned to approach the only parking space near the Chemist, a car skidded to a halt blocking me from the parking space and a youth with baseball cap on backwards, trainers and tracksuit, looking like a typical young yob (youth with no respect for others), sprung out of the car and ran into the chemist. I had to park 50 yards away and with my raw throat and fever, run through the downpour to the chemist. I was mad at this obviously inconsiderate yob who, when I was almost at the store’s entrance, pushed past me running back to his car in great haste. He skid his tyres in the wet backwards out onto the road, with little consideration for other traffic, and took off as fast as he could. I entered the store to see a young female assistant looking quite pale and shocked. I said “What happened, did he rob you?” and at this she almost was in tears. “No no” she said, and I said, “so what did he do?” She replied, “He didn’t have a phone, he came across a terrible accident down the road, with children involved and needed to call the emergency services. He’s very shaken up”.
Author – Jamie Moodie © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Clare’s notes – I like Jamie’s story because it’s something that so many of us do on a daily basis and when we learn to check in with ourselves before jumping to conclusions and judging, it can have a major effect on the outcomes of our behaviour.
67.
Reading the Signs
Acceptance, Accountability
A severe flood threatens a town where Jacob, a devout religious man, starts praying to be saved. He escapes to the roof of his house and continues his pleas. A few moments later a man in a rowing boat comes along and offers to take Jacob to safety. Jacob thanks the kind man saying, "No, thank you. I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will." As the waters are rising, a military duck boat passes by and orders Jacob on board, but again he refuses, saying, "No, I am praying to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will." As the waters rise even higher, Jacob is clinging to the top of his chimney and a helicopter hovers over. The rescuer lowers the rope down but he gestures ‘NO’ again, that he is praying to God to be saved and trusting that He will. Finally the waters take Jacob and he drowns. As he passes over he comes face to face with his maker and is angry. "Why did you not save me?" he cries. “Save you?” replies and exasperated God. “I sent you a man in a rowing boat, a military amphibious vehicle, and finally the news helicopter, what more could you expect!”
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this is a well known story yet I still use it often as it is an effective metaphor for the proverbial universal mallet being thudded against our heads when we are too lost in ourselves to look for the solutions in front of our nose and take action.
68.
(The) Real Meaning of Peace
Attitude, Different Perspectives, Resilience
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace. Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?
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"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
69.
Reality bites
Embracing Diversity, Lateral Thinking, Perception
Pablo Picasso was travelling through Spain on a train. Once his seatmate discovered who he was sitting opposite, he started to rant about the failings of modern art. He talked about how he despised Picasso's paintings because they didn't look ‘real’, that his work was a false representation of images in the world. Picasso listened quietly. The man finally pulled a small snapshot out of his wallet and said, "Here is a picture of my wife, this is what she really looks like." Picasso took the snapshot from the man, held it sideways, and peered at it for a long time. Finally he remarked, "Well, she is awfully small…..and flat."
Source unknown Clare’s notes – Bravo Picasso!
70.
(The) Ripple Effect
Accountability
The Master was walking through the fields one day when a young man, a troubled look upon his face, approached him. "On such a beautiful day, it must be difficult to stay so serious," the Master said. "Is it? I hadn't noticed," the young man said, turning to look around and notice his surroundings. His eyes scanned the landscape, but nothing seemed to register; his mind elsewhere. Watching intently, the Master continued to walk. "Join me if you like." The Master walked to the edge of a still pond, framed by sycamore trees, their leaves golden orange and about to fall. "Please sit down," the Master invited, patting the ground next to him. Looking carefully before sitting, the young man brushed the ground to clear a space for himself. "Now, find a small stone, please," the Master instructed. "What?" "A stone. Please find a small stone and throw it in the pond." Searching around him, the young man grabbed a pebble and threw it as far as he could. "Tell me what you see," the Master instructed. Straining his eyes to not miss a single detail, the man looked at the water's surface. "I see ripples." "Where did the ripples come from?" "From the pebble I threw in the pond, Master." "Please reach your hand into the water and stop the ripples," the Master asked.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Not understanding, the young man stuck his hand in the water as a ripple neared, only to cause more ripples. The young man was now completely baffled. Where was this going? Had he made a mistake in seeking out the Master? After all he was not a student, perhaps he could not be helped? Puzzled, the young man waited. "Were you able to stop the ripples with your hands?" the Master asked. "No, of course not." "Could you have stopped the ripples, then?" "No, Master. I told you I only caused more ripples." "What if you had stopped the pebble from entering the water to begin with?" The Master smiled such a beautiful smile; the young man could not be upset. "Next time you are unhappy with your life, catch the stone before it hits the water. Do not spend time trying to undo what you have done. Rather, change what you are going to do before you do it." The Master looked kindly upon the young man. "But Master, how will I know what I am going to do before I do it?" "Take the responsibility for living your own life. If you're working with a doctor to treat an illness, then ask the doctor to help you understand what caused the illness. Do not just treat the ripples. Keep asking questions." The young man stopped, his mind reeling. "But I came to you to ask you for answers. Are you saying that I know the answers?" "You may not know the answers right now, but if you ask the right questions, then you shall discover the answers." "But what are the right questions, Master?" "There are no wrong questions, only unasked ones. We must ask, for without asking, we cannot receive answers. But it is your responsibility to ask. No one else can do that for you."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – there’s often no need to use the whole story and it’s great if you are near water (or can bring a bucket of water in) to do this ‘in real time’ – speaks louder and encourages dialogue.
71.
(The) River Crossing
Attitude, Forgiveness, Perception, Values
Two monks were travelling together when they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked the monks if they could help her. The younger of the two monks hesitated as they were not supposed to have any physical contact with women. The older monk gently motioned the woman onto his back and proceeded to help the woman across the river. Upon reaching the other bank of the river, the woman got down, thanked the monks and went away. As the monks continued their journey, the younger monk became increasingly agitated and finally spoke out, "Brother, you know we are not permitted to have any contact with women, how could you carry that woman on your back?" The older monk looked at him and softly replied, "You are right, I did carry that woman. But I have already put her down many hours ago, after we crossed the river. Why are you still carrying her?" © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Originating from a Zen story Clare’s notes – received as a forwarded email, this simple metaphor is one I sometimes use when encouraging open discussion on values and the difference between espousing values and living them.
72.
Roast Beef
Challenging the Status Quo, Culture
A little girl was watching her mother prepare a joint of beef for dinner. Her mother cut the joint in half and put it in two roasting trays. The little girl asked her mother why she cut the roast in two. Her mother thought for a while and then said, "I've always done it that way - that's how grandma did it." Not satisfied with the answer, the little girl went to visit her grandma to find out why she cut the joint in two before roasting it. Grandma thought for a while and replied, "I don't know. My mother always did it that way." So the little girl and the grandma went to visit great grandma to find ask if she knew the answer. Great grandma thought for a while and said, “Because we lived in a narrow miner’s townhouse with a stack oven that was too narrow to take a joint that would feed the family, so I cut it in two and roasted them one on top of the other”.
Author unknown ack. Jamie Moodie Clare’s notes – this simple metaphor shakes us up to challenge why things are the way they are and explore what could be different. I have used it many times and changed it according to my audience – the roast beef and oven can be anything that reflects unchallenged tradition.
73.
Robert the Bruce and the Spider
Courage, Persistence Robert the Bruce - King of Scotland from 1306 - 1329
In the early days of Bruce’s reign he was defeated by the English and driven into exile. He was on the run - a hunted man and scared. He sought refuge in a small dark cave and sat and watched a little spider trying to make a web. Time and time again the spider would fall and then climb slowly back up to try again. If at first you don't succeed - try, try again. Finally, as the Bruce looked on, the spider managed to stick a strand of silk to the cave wall and began to weave a web. Robert the Bruce was inspired by the spider and went on to defeat the English at the Battle of Bannockburn.
Clare’s notes - This well known story was first published by Sir Walter Scott in ‘Tales of a Grandfather’ in 1828. It’s a simple tale yet inspires me to continue through tough times, especially when I have the privilege of watching a spider weave its web. This version of the story I found on itscotland.org.uk
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 74.
St Crispin’s Day Speech
Inspiration, Leadership
Enter the KING WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men in England That do no work to-day! KING. What's he that wishes so? My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin; If we are mark'd to die, we are enow To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires. But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England. God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour As one man more methinks would share from me For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more! Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put into his purse; We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us. This day is call'd the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.' Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.' Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household wordsHarry the King, Bedford and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and GloucesterBe in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be rememberedWe few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day. William Shakespeare from Henry V 1599
Clare’s notes – I use this text in leadership programs and workshops on motivation by showing the clip from the film Henry V (starring Kenneth Branagh) and ask participants to listen out for the different messages that cater to the 3 different motivational needs of status, power and affiliation. We then run an exercise to have the groups write a company message that appeals to all three needs.
75.
Sandcastles
Perception, Prioritisation
Hot sun. Salty air, rhythmic waves. A little boy is on the beach. On his knees he scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat, packing the walls with shells. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A sandcastle will be built. Big city. busy streets, rumbling traffic. A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers into stacks and delegates assignments. He cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers. Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built. Two builders of two castles. They have much in common. They shape granules into grandeurs. They see nothing and make something. They are diligent and determined. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that is where the similarities cease. For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it. Watch the boy as the dusk approaches. As the waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand and goes home. The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle, he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Saltwater soaked and shivering, he snarls at the incoming tide. "It's my castle," he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs... © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Author unknown Clare’s notes – very powerful for putting work and life back into context. I prefer to use this story in a conversational manner opening up with the question “when was the last time you built a sandcastle?” If you want to recite or read it out, do so very deliberately for effect as has a powerful rhythm.
76.
(The) Secret of Life
Inspiration, Values, Vision
An eight year old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up into his eyes, and asked - "I understand you're a very wise man. I'd like to know the secret of life." The old man looked down at the youngster and replied - "I've thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words: The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your life by. The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you've done about the values you're going to live your life by. The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values you're going to live by. The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values. " And with that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy, "Think, Believe, Dream and Dare."
Source unknown
77.
Sharpening the Axe
Prioritisation, Wisdom
You may have seen it on TV, or heard about it on the radio or read about it in the newspaper but recently the annual World Logging Championship was held in British Columbia. The two finalists were a Canadian and a Norwegian. Their task was straightforward. Each had a sector of the forest. Whoever could fell the most timber between 8 o’clock in the morning and 4 o’clock in the afternoon would be the winner. At 8 o’clock sharp, the whistle blew and the two lumberjacks set to with attitude. It seemed that they chopped stroke for stroke until ten to nine the Canadian heard the Norwegian stop. Sensing his chance, the Canadian redoubled his efforts. At 9 o’clock the Canadian heard the Norwegian start chopping again. One more it seemed as if they chopped stroke for stroke until at ten to ten the Canadian heard the Norwegian stop. Again the Canadian continued, determined to make the most of his opponent’s weakness. At the stroke of 10 o’clock, the Norwegian began cutting again. Until 10 to eleven, the Norwegian paused once more. With a growing sense of confidence, the Canadian scented victory and continued his steady rhythm.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life And so it went on throughout the whole day. Every hour at ten to the hour, the Norwegian would stop and the Canadian would continue. When the whistle blew to finish the contest at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the Canadian was supremely confident that the prize was his. You can imagine how surprised he was to discover that he had lost. “How did you do that?” he asked the Norwegian. “Every hour at ten to the hour I heard you stop. How the hell were you able to cut more timber than me? It’s just not possible.” “It’s really very simple,” said the Norwegian bluntly. “Every hour at ten to the hour, I stopped. While you continued to cut, I was sharpening my axe.”
Source - The 7 Habits if Highly Effective People Clare’s notes – there are many versions of this story and I was reminded of it a few years ago when I read Stephen Covey’s 7 habits of highly effective people. I usually recount this story as something that I read in the paper and deliver it conversationally. It can be very powerful when this metaphor becomes embedded in everyday language with people asking, “are you sharpening the axe or getting a sore back?”
78.
(A) Slanderous Tongue
Integrity, Wisdom
An old man was found to be spreading rumours that his neighbour was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After he was released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him. In court the old man told the Judge: “They were just comments, they were not meant to harm anyone.” The judge, before passing sentence on the case, told the old man: “Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home; throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.” The next day, the judge told the old man: “Before I hand down your sentence, you must go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.” “I can't do that!” cried the old man. “The wind spread them and I won't know where to find them.” The judge then replied: “This is the same way simple comments may destroy the honour of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. If you can't speak well of someone, say nothing at all”
Author unknown Clare’s notes – if you are a manager of teams of diverse people and are finding that there’s interpersonal conflict which is becoming personal in nature; this metaphor can cut to the core whilst staying respectful.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 79.
Something to Ponder on
Gratitude, Different Perspectives
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all. As you read this and are reminded how life is in the rest of the world, remember just how blessed you really are!
Source unknown Clare’s notes – I keep a copy of this in my purse, given to me by my Father about 10 years ago. I read it out in my emotional resilience workshops and I pull it out of my purse whenever I’m feeling sorry for myself – which doesn’t last long once I’ve read it.
80.
Sometimes they Change the Biscuits
Acceptance, Consequences of Assumptions, Different Perspectives
An interviewer was talking to a female production-line worker in a biscuit factory. The dialogue went like this: Interviewer: How long have you worked here? Production Lady: Since I left school (probably about 15 years) Interviewer: What do you do? Production Lady: I take packets of biscuits off the conveyor belt and put them into cardboard boxes. Interviewer: Have you always done the same job? Production Lady: Yes Interviewer: Do you enjoy it? Production Lady: Ooh yes, it's great, everyone is so nice and friendly, we have a good laugh. Interviewer (with a hint of disbelief) : Really? Don't you find it a bit boring? Production Lady: Oh no, sometimes they change the biscuits......
Source unknown Clare’s notes –and thisworkshops, reminds me of one of my favourite presentations from Martin Luther King quotations that I use in “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep the streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 81.
Spilt Milk
Attitude, Empowerment, Inspiration, Reframing Challenges
There was once a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others? He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk! When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?” Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, “You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk. His mother then said, “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let’s go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it.” The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson! This renowned scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment ‘doesn’t work’, we usually learn something valuable from it.
Author Og Mandino Clare’s notes – this fits so well with the NLP presupposition that ‘there is no failure, only feedback’. If we as leaders were to adopt this attitude of empowerment and trust, what might result?
82.
Starfish
Optimism, Perception
A man was taking a leisurely walk along a remote beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went, on and on.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide. The man was struck by the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf. As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and picked up one starfish andsaid, threw backmade into the He turned backmore to the man and "Ititsure a ocean. difference to that one!"
83.
(A) Sticky Innovation
Culture, Empowerment, Innovation, Trust
Post it notes may have been a godsend…literally. In the early 1970’s Art Fry was in search of a bookmark for his church hymnal that would neither fall out nor damage the hymnal. Fry noticed that a colleague Spencer Silver had developed an adhesive that was strong enough to stick to surfaces but left no mark on removal and could be repositioned. Fry took some of Dr Silver’s adhesive and applied it along the edge of the paper. His church hymnal problem was solved. Fry soon realised that his ‘bookmark’ had other potential functions when he used it to leave a note and co-workers kept dropping by seeking ‘bookmarks’ for their offices. The ‘bookmark’ was a new way to communicate and to organise. 3M Corporation crafted the name Post-it note for Fry’s bookmarks and commenced production in the late 70’s for commercial use. In 1977, test markets failed to show consumer interest. On April 6th, 1980, the Post-It notepad was finally launched. As expected, they became a phenomenal success and gradually morphed into many other product forms such as bookmarks, file folder tabs, phone message pads, glue sticks, tape flags etc. Most importantly, the success of that seemingly innocuous mistake has helped to cultivate a creative environment at 3M where scientists are encouraged to spend 15% of their time brainstorming and working on new concepts and ideas, even if they may not present immediate commercial benefits. Today we see Post-it notes peppered across desks, and doors in offices and homes throughout the country. From a church hymnal bookmark to the home essential, the Post-it note has coloured the way we work. www.3m.com
Clare’s notes – there’s a more detailed story on 3M’s website but this cut down version still highlights the beneficial outcomes of an empowering, trusting and innovative culture.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 84.
(The) Stonecutter
Acceptance, Perception
An old story tells of an unhappy and discontented stonecutter. One day he came upon a merchant and was awestruck by all of the marvellous goods the man had for sale. "I wish I were a merchant," said the stonecutter and, quite amazingly, his wish was granted. Not long afterward he saw a parade pass his little shop. Spying a prince dressed in splendour such as he had never before seen, he said, "I wish I were a prince." And he became one. But it wasn't too many days later that he stepped outside and felt the discomfort of the hot summer sun beating down upon his head. "Even a prince cannot stay cool in the sun," he said. "I wish I were the sun." This wish, too, was granted. He was happy being the sun until one day a cloud came between him and the earth. "That cloud overshadows me," he said. "I wish I were a cloud." Again, his wish was granted and he was happy until he came to a mountain that he could not rise above. "This mountain is greater than I am," he said. "I wish I were a mountain." As a tall and mighty mountain he looked down upon the affairs of humans and felt that he was finally happy. But one day a stonecutter climbed up his side and chipped away at rock and there was nothing he could do about it. "That little man is more powerful than I," the mountain said. "I wish I were a stonecutter." So the circle was completed and now the stonecutter knew that he would always be happy just being himself. He would never dress like a prince, shine like the sun nor rise as tall as a mountain, but he was happy to be who he was.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this reminds me of the old saying "The grass may be greener on the other side, but you still have to mow it!" I have found this story effective in one on once coaching when the coachee feels confused or frustrated with their current lot.
85.
Take Time
Prioritisation, Values, Wisdom
Take Take Take Take Take Take Take Take Take Take Take Take
time time time time time time time time time time time time
to to to to to to to to to to to to
think – It is the source of all power read – It is the foundation of all wisdom play- It is the source of perpetual youth be quiet - It is the opportunity to listen be aware - It is the opportunity to help others love and be loved - It is God’s greatest gift laugh - It is the music of the soul be friendly - It is the road to happiness dream - It is what the future is made of pray - It is the greatest power on earth give - It is too short a day to be selfish work - It is the price of success
Attributed to multiple authors Clare’s notes – my Father gave me this poem many years ago and it reminds me of what is really important, to prioritise and look for a healthy work life balance every time I read it.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 86.
Teaspoon, Teacup or Bucket?
Choice, Lateral Thinking
During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director which is the criteria that defines a patient to be institutionalized. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bath tub, we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the patient and ask the patient to empty the bathtub." The director asked the visitor “Would you use the spoon, the teacup or the bucket?” "Just like any normal person," said the visitor. "I would choose the bucket as it is larger than the spoon." "Really?" asked the Director. "In my experience a normal person would pull the plug. Sadly though, we have no vacancies at this present time"
Clare’s notes –I use this for fun as an icebreaker when I’m leading into the topic of being at choice.
87.
(The) Three Hairs
Attitude, Choice, Optimism, Resilience
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmmm," she pondered, "I know what, I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "Yippeee!" she exclaimed, "I can go back to bed and have a lie in, what a wonderful day this will be as I don't have to fix my hair!"
Clare’s notes – as mentioned in ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’, this is one of my favourite metaphors for setting the scene of brining with you a positive attitude to the day/workshop/event etc. I usually ham it up, act it out and have the audience count down how many hairs. Don’t underestimate the power of these little ditties in helping you prepare your audience.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 88.
Tickle me Elmo
Clarity of Communication, Consequences of Assumptions
'Tickle Me Elmo' is a children's cuddly toy that laughs when tickled under the arm. Legend has is it that a new employee is hired at the Tickle Me Elmo factory and she duly reports for her first day's induction training, prior to being allocated a job on the production line. At 08:45 the next day the personnel manager receives a visit from an excited assembly line foreman who is not best pleased about the performance of the new recruit. The foreman explains that she is far too slow, and that she is causing the entire line to back-up, delaying the whole production schedule. The personnel manager asks to see what's happening, so both men proceed to the factory floor. On arrival they see that the line is indeed badly backed up; there are dozens of ‘Tickle Me Elmos’ strewn all over the factory floor, and they are still piling up. Virtually buried in a mountain of toys sits the new employee earnestly focused on her work. She has a roll of red plush fabric and a bag of marbles. The two men watch amazed as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around a pair of marbles and carefully begins sew the little package between Elmo's legs. The personnel manager begins to laugh, and it is some while before he can compose himself, at which he approaches the trainee. "I'm sorry," he says to her, not able to disguise his amusement, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday.... Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles."
Source unknown Clare’s notes – I don’t care whether this is an urban myth or real – every time I share it, there’s a real giggle and we use it as a basis for discussion on the need to be absolutely clear in our communication and not make assumptions.
89.
(The) Traveller & the Monk
Attitude, Choice, Perception
One day a traveller was walking along a road on his journey from one village to another. As he walked he noticed a monk tending the ground in the fields beside the road. The monk said "Good day" to the traveller, and the traveller nodded to the monk. The traveller then turned to the monk and said "Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a question?". "Not at all," replied the monk. "I am travelling from the village in the mountains to the village in the valley and I was wondering if you knew what it is like in the village in the valley?" "Tell me," said the monk "What was your experience of the village in the mountains?" "Dreadful," replied the traveller, "to be honest I am glad to be away from there. I found the people most unwelcoming. When I first arrived I was greeted coldly. I was never made to feel part of the village no matter how hard I tried. The villagers keep very much to themselves, they don't take kindly to strangers. So tell me, what can I expect in the village in the valley?" "I am sorry to tell you," said the monk "but I think your experience will be much the same there". The traveller hung his head despondently and walked on.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life A few months later another traveller was journeying down the same road and he also came upon the monk. "Good day," said the traveller. "Good day" said the monk. "How are you?" asked the traveller. "I'm well," replied the monk, "Where are you going?" "I'm going to the village in the valley" replied the traveller "Do you know what it is like?" "I do," replied the monk "But first tell me - where have you come from?" "I've come from the village in the mountains." "And how was that?" "It was a wonderful experience. I would have stayed if I could but I am committed to travelling on. I felt as though I was a member of the family in the village. The elders gave me much advice, the children laughed and joked with me and people were generally kind and generous. I am sad to have left there. It will always hold special memories for me. And what of the village in the valley?" he asked again. "I think you will find it much the same" replied the monk, "Good day to you". "Good day and thank you" the traveller replied, smiled and journeyed on.
Clare’s notes – I never tire of telling this story which was first told to me by Reg Connolly of Pegasus NLP. It reminds me of the Shakespeare quote ‘Nothing is either good or bad but thinking makes it so’. Our attitude to any given circumstances creates the results we get.
90.
(The) Triple Filter Test
Integrity, Living your Truth
In ancient Greece, scholar and intellectual, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about one of your friends?" "Hold on a minute," Dr. Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test." "Triple filter?" asked the man. "That's right," Dr. Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?" "No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and wanted to tell it to you" "All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?" "No, on the contrary, it is bad." "So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?" "No, not really." Replied the man. "Well," concluded Dr. Socrates, if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, and nor even useful to me, why tell it to me at all?"
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Clare’s notes – I find this a respectful way to remind people (and that includes me) of the consequences of their actions and it is warmly accepted as opposed to a lecture on gossiping.
91.
(The) Trouble Tree
Attitude, Prioritisation, Resilience
A carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farm house had just finished a rough day on the job. A flat tyre made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit and now his ancient truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His weathered face lit up and his eyes crinkled with joy as he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterwards he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me so I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. “Oh, that's my trouble tree” he replied. “I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong at home with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again”. “Funny thing is” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before”….
Author unknown Clare’s – the tree they is a simple metaphor can adaptyour for our of life ornotes culture. Introuble Guatemala have trouble dollsthat youwe put beside bed way at night, hand them your troubles as you go to sleep and they take over. In my emotional resilience workshops we discuss what our perfect trouble tree would be.
92.
Two Brothers and Some Geese
Initiative, Leadership, Wisdom
Two sons work for their father on the family's farm. The younger brother had for some years been given more responsibility and reward, and one day the older brother asks his father to explain why. The father says, "First, go to the Kelly's farm and see if they have any geese for sale because we need to increase our current stock." The brother soon returns with the answer, "Yes they have five geese they can sell to us today." That father says, "Good, please ask them the price." The son returns with the answer, "The geese are $10 each." The father says, "Good, now ask if they can deliver the geese tomorrow." The son again returns with the answer, "Yes, they can deliver the geese tomorrow."
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life The father then asks the older brother to wait and listen whilst he calls to the younger brother in a nearby field, "Go to the Davidson's Farm and see if they have any geese for sale will you - we need to increase our current stock." The younger brother soon returns with the answer, "Yes, they have five geese for $10 each, or ten geese for $8 each and they can deliver them tomorrow. I asked them to deliver the five unless they heard otherwise from us in the next hour. I also agreed that if we want the extra five geese we could buy them for $6 each." The father turned to the older son, who nodded his head in appreciation - he now realised why his brother was given more responsibility and reward. Author unknown
93.
Two Frogs
Encouragement, Persistence, Resilience
A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead. Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless, and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible. The other frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up, since they were already as good as dead. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could, and after several hours of desperate effort were quite weary. Finally,he one of theresolved frogs took heed to to his thefate, callslay of his fellows. and disheartened, quietly himself down at theSpent bottom of the pit, and died as the others looked on in helpless grief. The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted. His companions began anew, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders, finally leapt so high that he sprang from the pit. Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?" Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf, and that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I like the twist at the end of this story and it’s a powerful reminder of the power of our words; both as encouragement and discouragement. If we could close our ears off to the negative feedback, how might things be different? If you are telling this story to young people you can change it so that the 2 nd frog lies down and cries himself to sleep then is rescued by the first frog and his mates.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 94.
Two Seeds
Accountability, Courage, Living your Truth
Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil. Then first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust above me. I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring…I want to feel the warmth of the sun in my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals. And so she grew. The second seed said, "I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts. What if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe." And so she waited. A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.
Multiple authors assigned Clare’s notes – I first heard this story just before I was about to do my first high ropes course and it inspired me to ‘have a go’. As I climbed the tree I imagined the 2 seeds and resigned to not playing small. A little tale with a loud message.
95.
Two Wolves
Leadership, wisdom
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – you can adapt this metaphor for business by changing the ‘battles’ e.g. one is selfishness, greed, hostility and dishonesty, the other is team spirit, generosity, hospitality and integrity.
96.
(The) Value of a Smile
Attitude, Optimism
It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it and none so poor but are richer for its benefits. It is rest to the weary, sunshine to the sad, and nature's best antidote for trouble.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life It cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good until it is given away. And yet, when you give it away, it always comes back and nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none to give. Author unknown
Clare’s notes – I have selfishly included this as it was given to me by my Father in 1982 and I have never forgotten its message. I smile at strangers wherever I go and if I see someone looking a little down, I find something about them to compliment them on and walk away smiling from ear to ear….because I have helped them raise a smile.
97.
We’ll see
Adapting to Change, Different Perspectives, Perception
There once was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and instead of a tractor; he used an old horse to plough his field. One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see." A few days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!" The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man." The farmer said, "We'll see." Later that year, the farmer's son decided to break the horse in and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy." The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man." The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – this is one of my favourite metaphors for embracing uncertainty and letting go. It reminds me of Shakespeare’s quotation that ‘There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so’. I use the Chinese farmer story often in my workshops when participants are labelling things as good or bad and it really makes them sit up and reflect. I also use humour in the story and have the audience responding with the ‘we’ll see’ (or sometimes I change it to ‘maybe’) response.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life 98.
(The) Wheelbarrow of Trust
Leadership, Trust
Upon completing a highly dangerous tightrope walk over Niagara Falls in appalling wind and rain, 'The Great Zumbrati' was met by an enthusiastic supporter, who urged him to make a return trip, this time pushing a wheelbarrow, which the spectator had thoughtfully brought along. The Great Zumbrati was reluctant, given the terrible conditions but the supporter pressed him. "You can do it - I know you can," he urged. "You really believe I can do it?" asked Zumbrati. "Yes - definitely - you can do it." the supporter gushed. "Okay," said Zumbrati, "Get in the wheelbarrow....."
Author unknown Clare’s notes – simple and funny yet with a powerful message to all leaders about being prepared to walk your talk.
99.
Whose Job is it anyway?
Accountability
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I have used this for years and always had it posted on my office wall, in the office kitchen above the sink, the refrigerator etc! I don’t always remember it correctly when reciting it which just gives everyone a chuckle!
100.
Your Value – the Story of the $20 note
Inspiration, Living your Truth, Optimism
A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 note. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 note?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the $20 note. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. Still the hands went into the air. My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I have used this in one on one coaching sessions to good effect though with plastic notes in Australia – it’s hard to make one look crumpled and dirty!
101.
Zen and a Cup of Tea
Perception, Wisdom
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. .
The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. "It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
Original Zen story Clare’s notes – I use this metaphor frequently though put a slightly less harsh slant on it and usually ask the audience why the Zen IMaster was continuing I first heard this story from Reg Connolly when was studying NLP andto it fill wasthe a cup. respectful way to prepare us as a learning audience to open our minds, listen and learn.
And 2 Bonus Stories! 102.
Zero
Adapting to Change, Challenging the Status Quo, Culture
A quality management consultant was visiting a small and somewhat antiquated English manufacturing company, to advise on improving general operating efficiency. The advisor was reviewing a particular daily report which dealt with aspects of productivity, absentee rates, machine failure, down-time, etc. The report was completed manually onto a photocopied proforma that was several generations away from the srcinal master-copy, so its headings and descriptions were quite difficult to understand. The photocopied forms were particularly fuzzy at the top-right corner, where a small box had a heading that was not clear at all. The advisor was interested to note that the figure '0' had been written in every daily report for the past year. On questioning the members of staff who completed the report, they told him that they always put a zero in that box, and when he asked them why, they looked at each other blankly. "Hmmm.., I'm not sure about that," they each said, "I guess we've just always done it that way." © Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life Intrigued, the consultant visited the archives to see if he could find a clearer form, to discover what was srcinally being reported and whether it actually held any significance. When he found the old reports, he saw that the zero return had continued uninterrupted for as far back as the records extended - at least the past thirty years - but none of the forms was any clearer than those presently in use. A little frustrated, he packed away the old papers and turned to leave the room, but something caught his eye. In another box he noticed a folder, promisingly titled 'master forms'. Sure enough inside it he found the srcinal daily report proforma master-copy, in pristine condition. In the top right corner was the mysterious box, with the heading clearly shown ...... 'Number of Air Raids Today'.
Author unknown Clare’s notes – I love this story and challenge everyone who is looking to improve their business processes to re-look at everything with a ‘zero’ attitude today!
103.
Clare’s Story
I grew up in the city of Liverpool, UK, the youngest of five. My life’s dream was to be a ballet dancer but that was short lived – about as short as I turned out to be which is 4 feet 10 and three quarters or 1 metre 47 centimetres! Unsure of what career direction to take I followed two of my elder siblings into the hospitality industry where I worked in the front of house section with various hotel chains. Working in hospitality took me to jobs in Holland and Switzerland and left me with lifelong friends. After nine happy and hard-working years in hotels, it was my dogged determination to become fluent in Dutch that became my passport to the corporate world where I worked for 13 years as a manager in Publishing and Information Technology. The internet boom and bust year of 2001 led me to reconsider my passions in life and I transitioned into people development, working for two of the UK’s most prominent team development companies. My corporate career, though very successful, left me little time to find that special person in my life and it was in 2002 that I met my Mr Right at a music festival in the UK. He turned out to be Australian, thus began the next adventure! In 2004 I left the UK to settle in Australia, on the stunningly beautiful Sunshine Coast of Queensland where I set up my business Changeworks. Jason (Mr Right) and I made several attempts to expand our little family of two (he and I!) but it wasn’t to be, hence my goal to have a global family of 20 sponsored children by the end of 2012. Like many others, I have had my share of challenges; an abusive relationship in my teens, the mental scars of which I carried for too long; the death of both parents (2001 and 2005), and our struggle to have children. I have used these challenges and how I learned to bounce back to develop my workshops on emotional resilience or, as I prefer to call it, Bouncebackability™. My story has happy endings, every night before I go to sleep I count my blessings and look forward to each new page and every exciting chapter!
© Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life
Your Feedback is appreciated My intention for this ebook is to provide you with a broad variety of stories, metaphors and related material to support your presentations, speeches, workshops, lessons and any key communications task and objective that you have.
The degree to which I have succeeded in my intention lies in your responses. I am keen to find out what value you have derived from the book, how practical and informative you found the stories and what else would you like to see included?
There are a couple of ways to give me your feedback:•
On my ‘A Sprinkling of Magic’ blogsite http://asprinklingofmagic.wordpress.com
•
Directly to my email
[email protected]
If you are very happy with ‘101 Inspiring Stories and Metaphors for Business and Life’ then I would value and appreciate a testimonial, no matter how short. Please use either of the routes above to share with others how it has helped you.
If you are in business and interested in developing your people, then visit my Changeworks website and sign up for my journal ‘Making Change Work’ www.change-works.com.au
Thank you!
© Clare Edwards – all rights reserved
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