Festivals, Bamboo, and the Effort to Stand Out

The same executive's essay describes his town's unusual festival of carrying great bamboo poles — a month of preparation, working late with the town's adults, then four performances a day before crowds, walking tall and thinking "look how strong I am!"

His reflection: "There I learned the joy of standing out — and that standing out requires effort." Profound. Adults hide the desire for recognition as something shameful; he converted it into fuel. The wish to be seen, rightly connected, becomes an engine of growth — for children, employees, and executives alike.

A leader's job, then, is to build stages where effort gets seen. Does your workplace have one?

What do you work for?