A Dead Duck May Open Your Eyes

A woman walks into her vet’s office with her beloved pet duck that is dying. She says to the vet, “Doc, you've got to save my pet duck.” The doctor looks over the duck and determines the duck is in fact dying and there is nothing that can be done to save it. The woman exclaims, “With all of modern medicine, is there nothing you can do for my duck?” The doctor looks at her and asks, “are you sure you want me to go through with it?” “Yes, yes. Anything” exclaims the woman. The doctor gets on the office phone and says something to his nurse.

A few minutes later there is a knock at the door. The doctor opens the door and in walks a tall black Labrador retriever. The doc looks at the dog and says, “You know what to do”. The lab jumps on the table and begins looking over the duck. He sniffs the duck from bill to tail feathers. Finally, the lab looks up and shakes his head. The dog jumps down and walks out the door.

A moment later a second knock is at the door. The doctor opens the door and this time, in walks a beautiful orange cat. The doctor looks at the cat and says, “You know what to do.” The cat meows and jumps on the table. Sniffing the duck and gently pawing at its feathers, the cat looks up and shakes his head. The doctor opens the door and the cat walks out.

Again the doctor looks at the woman and says, “I’m sorry ma’am, we've done all we can do. Your duck doesn't have much time. You should take it home where it will be comfortable.

With her head hung low, the woman collects her duck and starts out the door. “Just a minute” says the doc. “You need to settle your bill”. He hands her a bill for $5000. Floored, the woman asked how in the world he could charge her $5000 to look at her duck and tell her the duck was dying, something she already knew. “Well,” said the doctor, “when you came in here, I told you your duck was dying. That would have only been a $15 office visit. You insisted I perform more tests, so I had lab work done and a cat scan.”

Aren't we like this woman sometimes? Aren't there a lot of obvious things that we already know, but it takes an “expert” to point them out? What about the obvious things in our community? What about the obvious all around us that because we see it every day, we often overlook?

I recently used this story in a presentation to one of our Leadership Jones County groups. I wanted them to understand that this is one reason why our EDA and Chamber hosts Leadership Jones County programs.

We spend 8 months or so taking a deeper look at our community. We “go behind the walls” of some of our local businesses and industry. We spend time with our state and local government officials. And we take a look at those challenges and opportunities our community has for greatness. We want to open our participants’ eyes to the obvious so that we can collectively engage our community and create a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Each of our teams, both in Leadership Jones County and Future Leaders of Jones County, have done an outstanding job this year with their projects. They have instilled pride in our community. They have overcome obstacles that they identified. They have faced challenges and the outcome has made our community a better place for future generations.

After Abraham Lincoln had won his bid for presidency, he was supposed to head to Washington immediately. He delayed his departure because he had been asked to speak about a young friend who had passed away. In his eulogy, Abraham Lincoln said of his friend, “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ”

I am very proud of each one of our leadership program participants. I am proud of our graduates and past participants. I am grateful for the legacy they are leaving for our community. Each of them has strived for the betterment of our community and none of us will fully know what those seeds planted will accomplish, but if the tradition of our community’s founders stands true, I expect nothing but greatness from each of them and each of you. 

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* This article was originally printed in the Sunday, April 27, 2014 issue

 of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.

Make Your Mark

“If we are to be really great, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world. We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or with ill will.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Do you ever get dumbfounded by the simplicity of an object or its application. I was recently working on something and every ink pen I could find would not write. With a little modern ingenuity from my pocket knife and a lot of luck, I found a pencil stuck in my desk and I was back in business.

As I began to write, I began thinking about the usefulness of pencils and a story I once heard of a Pencil Maker who was preparing to put an important hand crafted pencil into a gift box. Before doing so, he took the pencil aside and to the pencil he said, “There are five things you need to know. If you can remember these five things you will become the best pencil you can be. “First: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone else’s hand. Second: Sharpening is painful, but it is critical if you want to become a better pencil. Third: Because you have an eraser, you can correct most mistakes you make, though some may be harder than others to erase. Fourth: You may or may not look all that great on the outside, but remember that it’s what’s inside that’s most important; in fact for you, it’s your most important quality. And Fifth: Whatever surface you are used on, make sure you leave your mark. No matter how hard, rough or easy, you must continue to write.”

Pencils have been around for a long time. In doing some quick research I discovered that pencils were first discovered some time before 1565 (some sources say as early as 1500). An enormous deposit of graphite was discovered in Cumbria, England. The locals found that it was very useful for marking sheep. This particular deposit of graphite was extremely pure and solid, and it could easily be sawn into sticks. This remains the only large-scale deposit of graphite ever found in this solid form.

The value of graphite was soon realized to be enormous, mainly because it could be used to line the moulds for cannonballs, and the mines were taken over by the English Crown and guarded. When sufficient stores of graphite had been accumulated, the mines were flooded to prevent theft until more was required. Graphite had to be smuggled out for use in pencils.

England continued to enjoy a monopoly on the production of pencils until a method of reconstituting the graphite powder was found. The distinctively square English pencils continued to be made with sticks cut from natural graphite into the 1860s.

American colonists imported pencils from Europe until after the American Revolution. Benjamin Franklin advertised pencils for sale in his Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729, and George Washington used a three-inch pencil when he surveyed the Ohio Territory in 1762. It is said that William Munroe, a cabinetmaker in Concord, Massachusetts, made the first American wood pencils in 1812. 

A thing as simple as a pencil, something we take for granted (until our ink pen wont write) has a vast and rich history. Kings and Royals guarded its very existence because its usefulness was so valuable. How much more valuable is our usefulness?

We as individuals are very much like pencils. We as leaders and volunteers in the community need to guard our talents, but we need to sharpen them and put them to use toward the betterment of our community, always striving to leave our mark.

Just as pencils, we must first, be humble: we must often be carefully guided through bosses, mentors and people who care. Second, we must stay sharp: feedback is painful at times, but without it we will become dull. Constantly take the time to sharpen your skills through feedback. Third, it’s okay to make mistakes: In the process of becoming a better leader you will make mistakes, but, embrace those mistakes as opportunities to learn. Learn, erase and become better! Fourth, believe in you: We all come in different shapes, sizes and colors – just like pencils. But it’s what is on the inside that matters the most. You can have an important impact on others by believing in who you are and what your purpose is. And lastly, don’t give up: There will be times you will wonder if it is worth it, but people are depending on you so keep on going. Hold to your vision even when it seems it has dulled.

If you continue to remain focused on these five things, I am sure you will become a better leader and a better pencil in our community, always leaving your mark. And I know our community will be better off because of it.

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* This article was originally printed in the Sunday, April 6, 2014 issue
 of The Chronicle's "Planting Seeds" column.