"The
ultimate measure of a (leader) is not where he stands in moments of comfort and
convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
~Martin Luther King Jr.
The
difference between successful people and those who aren't often boils down to
pure persistence. It’s the desire to not give up that makes good leaders
ultimately successful at accomplishing their intended goals. Great leaders
carry on, even in the face of adversity and critics.
Mississippi
has a lot of critics, many who are not fans of this great “land mass”. As I am
writing this, we just concluded our inaugural summit of the newly formed
Mississippi Young Professionals. This is a state-wide association of
professionals from all fields throughout the state of Mississippi. We had an
amazing turnout at the summit. Over 300 people under the age of forty showed up
to listen, learn and be involved.
YPs
care about our state and are concerned about its future. The mission of MSYP is
to help stop the brain drain that is leaving our state as we promote its unique
assets and quality of life, as well as ample opportunities for growth, so that
we can retain our best and brightest talent.
Mississippi
needs us and we need you. It’s time that we stand up for our state. It’s time
for us to tell our story and stop allowing others to write it for us. We need
leaders who are willing to be committed to doing what is right and putting in
the work to help us keep our talent at home. You don’t have to hold and office,
own a business or be a public speaker. Each of us can be a marketer of
Mississippi telling one story at a time.
Here
is a story that I particularly like sharing with my leadership program
participants. As they are growing and transforming in to leaders and developing
their skills, they need to be reminded of how struggles build character and
help develop better leaders – don’t we all need to be reminded that lesson.
This particular story also says a lot about what it means to be a
Mississippian.
Two
frogs were playing in the swamp one day and decided to go exploring. They
hopped off in the direction of an old farm where there were lots of fun things
to explore. They came across a pail of milk and immediately jumped in it for a
swim. However, they soon found themselves in danger as they tried to climb out.
The sides of the pail turned out to be steeper and slicker than they had
anticipated.
Both
frogs continued to struggle to get out - kicking, squirming and swimming the
best they could. Finally one frog just quit saying "this is way too hard,
it is hopeless, I quit." Eventually that frog disappeared under the milk
never to rise to the surface again. The other frog wasn't going to quit so
easily and continued to kick, squirm and swim the best a frog could in that
situation. Finally when the frog decided to stop he noticed that he wasn't
sinking. With all of his churning, the milk had been turned into a big hunk of
butter! As a result he simply climbed out of the pail.
You
can never quit. You can never give up on your vision and you can't give up on
those you lead. As Mississippians, we are already starting in that pail. The
perceptions of our past and of our people have put us at a slanted
disadvantage. We may not have it all figured out, but we have to keep kicking,
keep squirming and keep swimming until we get out of that pail.
Mississippi
is at the bottom of a lot of lists (and a lot of pails) but the pride for our
state is growing. Industry is taking notice of Mississippi. Healthcare
professionals are noticing Mississippi. Our creative economy is growing through
movies, books, artists and world class entertainers. Stories of hope during
times of tragedy and disaster continue to help people realize the grace of a
place like Mississippi. The world is watching Mississippi. Now is the time to
tell our story and let us tell others why we call Mississippi home.
You
can help. You can be our cheerleaders and it’s probably a lot simpler than you
think. Craft your own story of why Mississippi is so great and tell everyone
you know about why living in Mississippi and living in Jones County is better
than living anywhere else in the world! We can do it. We can change the
perception of Mississippi, but it can’t be done without you sharing your
message.
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* This article was originally printed in the Sunday, April 28, 2013 issue
of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.
of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.
