WHEN THE SMALLEST THINGS BRING DOWN GIANT ONES — WISDOM STORY
Deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the ruins of a gigantic tree which had stood for hundreds of years. It was a seedling when Columbus landed and a little more than half grown when the Pilgrims settled at Plymouth.
During its long life, the very big tree had been struck by lightning fourteen times and endured other large innumerable adversities including avalanches and storms. However, it wasn’t any of those things that brought it down. What brought it down was an insect — a beetle to be exact. An army of beetles had attacked the inside of the tree by chewing their way through the bark and destroying its inner strength and leveling it to the ground.
This forest giant hadn’t withered or died by fire, lightning or storms — it was brought down by a small beetle so small that it could be crushed between the thumb and forefinger of a man or woman.
Lessons from this story:
- As in nature so do small things destroy big things in business. The “small things” being relationships, emotions, communication, and other soft skills that old school managers like to disregard.
- Never disregard small and at first glance “harmless” remarks, gossip, or negative relations in the work environment. If you are wondering why is that check out the Broken Window theory.
Be sure to also read:
BE CAREFUL HOW YOU COMMUNICATE
THE LAZY MEMBER OF THE TEAM A STORY ABOUT TEAMWORK
WHAT CAN YOU LEARN ABOUT HATE FROM A BAG OF ROTTEN POTATOES — A WISDOM STORY
ENDING THE CYCLE — HOW KARMA WORKS — A MINDSET STORY
WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A HAMMER AND SOME NAILS
THE SEEDS OF LEADERSHIP — LEADERSHIP STORY
EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY AND NOBODY A STORY ABOUT TEAMWORK
THE LAZY MEMBER OF THE TEAM A STORY ABOUT TEAMWORK
LIEUTENANT AND PRIVATE — A LESSON IN COMMUNICATION
THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF TOO MANY TIMES A STORY ABOUT REPUTATION
WHEN SAYING HELLO AND GOODBYE SAVES YOUR LIFE — A STORY ABOUT RESPECT
