HOW TO BE A GOOD LEADER
How to be a good leader? I think it is a difficult question. Dr John
C. Maxwell has suggested one of the most important methods, 'Don't
send your duck to eagle school', in his following essay. Read it, think
over it and state your ideas so that we can learn from each other and
draw out the best methods to become good leaders.
Don’t Send Your Duck to Eagle School – Dr John C. Maxwell
My wife, Margaret, and I love Krispy Kreme doughnuts. When we pass a
Krispy Kreme shop, we always look for the red neon “Hot Dough nuts
Now” sign that tells potential customers that the doughnuts have just been
made and are coming off the assembly line, hot and fresh and deli cious.
Although we do not allow ourselves to indulge often, occasionally we
can’t help but give in to temptation. If we see the red light on, one of us
will say, “It’s a sign from God that we should stop and buy a doughnut!”
One evening when we were approaching a Krispy Kreme shop, we could
clearly see that the light was not on, but we decided to stop anyway.
Much to our delight and surprise, the doughnuts were just coming off the
conveyer belt, hot and gooey.
“You forgot to turn on the sign to let the customers know the dough nuts
are warm and fresh,” I said to the young lady who waited on us.
“Oh, I don’t turn that sign on a lot of the time,” she replied. “The moment
I do, people come into the store and we get too busy. If I keep the sign
off, it’s less hectic.”
I was stunned. I wondered, Why would she think like that? At first it
didn’t make sense to me. But then, as I thought about it, I realized it was
a matter of her position influencing her perception. She was an employee
who didn’t want to be inconvenienced. Certainly if the owners had been
there, they would have turned the sign on! They wouldn’t be hoping for
convenience—they would have the success of the whole business and all
of its employees in mind.
For more than three decades, I have hosted conferences and written books

wouldn’t everyone go get the book? Mysteries of the mind….
To one person, you have to say, “You’d better slow down. You can’t
work that many hours, do that many things, go, go, go. You’re going to
have a heart attack and die.” And to another person, you have to say,
“When are you going to get off the couch?” What is the difference? Why
wouldn’t everyone strive to be wealthy and happy?
Chalk it up to mysteries of the mind, and don’t waste your time trying to
turn ducks into eagles. Hire people who already have the motivation and
drive to be eagles and then just let them soar,
Jim’s perspective explains why the worker at Krispy Kreme didn’t turn
on the sign, and why I was so surprised. While I was thinking about
generating income and maximizing profits, she was thinking about
avoiding too much work.
Three Reasons Not to Send Your Ducks to Eagle School
For years my problem was that I believed that if I worked hard and taught
the right things, I could turn ducks into eagles. It just doesn’t work. I have
to admit, this has been a hard lesson for me. I place a high value on
people. I sincerely believe that every person matters. And for years, I
believed that anyone could learn just about anything. As a result, I
repeatedly tried to send my ducks to eagle school. Here why I no longer
do that.
1. If You Send Ducks to Eagle School, You Will Frustrate the Ducks
Let’s face it. Ducks are not supposed to be eagles—nor do they want to
become eagles. Who they are is who they should be. Ducks have their
strengths and should be appreciated for them. They’re excellent
swimmers. They are capable of working together in an amazing display
of teamwork and travel long distances together. Ask an eagle to swim or
to migrate thousands of miles, and it’s going to be in trouble.
Leadership is all about placing people in the right place so they can be
successful. As a leader, you need to know and value your people for who

All people have strengths they can use to contribute. In The 17
Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, I teach The Law of the Niche, which
says, All players have a place where they add the most value.” Successful
people have discovered their niche. Successful leaders help their people
discover theirs. As a leader, you should always challenge people to move
out of their comfort zone, but never out of their strength zone. If people
are moved out of their strength zone, they soon won’t be in any kind of
zone—comfort, strength, or effectiveness.
2. If You Send Ducks to Eagle School, You Will Frustrate the Eagles