Leaders Throw Starfish Instead of Stepping on Them

“You have to step on people to make it to the top.” When I was younger, I heard that several times in my career. After I thought about that phrase for a while, though, I realized that none of the people saying it were at the top. That is such a negative way to look at things, and there isn’t anything further from the truth, in my opinion. There are three traits in leaders, however, that I have noticed: They are great communicators; they make people around them better; and they make an impact in the lives of others.

Effective communication is key to being a successful leader. Warren Buffet, “the Oracle of Omaha,” has often stated that by learning to effectively communicate, a person can increase their value by 50%. The tricky thing about being a good communicator is being a good listener. A preponderance of bankers in my Graduate School of Banking class were ESTJs on the Myers-Briggs personality test, including me.

The Myers-Briggs personality test is a tool developed to determine personality traits and how strong or weak those traits are in people. At the end of the test, participants will fall into one of 16 personality types. Without going into too much detail here, the “E” in ESTJ stands for extroversion. Sometimes people who score a strong E have trouble listening. ESTJs like to talk and make quick decisions. Being a good communicator, which includes both speaking and listening, requires being intentional when engaging people.

Spending more time listening, rather than talking, is one way I’ve seen leaders enhance their communication skills. This allows the listener to learn what is important to people, what successes they are enjoying, and what problems they are encountering. In order to most effectively engage those around them, leaders need to be good listeners as well.

Great leaders make people around them better. Larry Bird, “the Hick from French Lick,” is a prime example of this trait. The Boston Celtics drafted Larry after his junior year at Indiana State University. Coach Red Auerbach coveted Larry so much that he drafted him knowing that Larry would probably return to Terre Haute to try to win a national championship for the Sycamores.

That is exactly what Larry did. While he was taking Indiana State to No. 1 in the country and an undefeated regular season, the Celtics were posting the second worst record in the NBA. Larry led the Sycamores all the way the NCAA finals before succumbing to the Michigan State Spartans. That game made March Madness what it is today. Next, Larry was onto the NBA.

During Larry’s rookie year in the NBA, he led the Celtics to the best record in the NBA regular season. They made it to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Sixers. That is quite the turnaround. Larry only averaged about 21 points a game his rookie year. That doesn’t seem like enough to take the team with the second worst regular season record to the best in one year, but Larry did what great leaders do. He made the people around him better.

Leaders make an impact in people’s lives. The short essay by Loren Eiseley, “The Star Thrower,” metaphorically demonstrates how one can make an impact in the lives of others. It has been modified throughout the years and is often referred to now as the Starfish Story or Starfish Thrower. The gist is the following:

There is a man who is in deep thought. He often goes down to the ocean to clear his mind. As he approaches the shore, he notices what looks like a dancer twirling around. He approaches the figure to investigate, and he notices that it is a young boy throwing starfish into the ocean. The man notices that there are miles and miles of beach, with thousands upon thousands of starfish washed up onto the shore. He asks the boy what he is doing. The boy indicates that he is throwing the starfish back into the ocean before they die. The older man tells him there are far too many starfish for him to make any difference. The young boy reaches down, picks up a starfish, throws it back into the ocean and replies, “I made a difference to that one!”

Too many times in life we feel like the challenge in front of us is just too big. We feel like we cannot make a difference. The great leaders I’ve watched in my career make differences in people’s lives one person at a time. They truly are starfish throwers.

So, Future Leaders of the Indiana Bankers Association, the challenge has been set. Bring your “A Game” when it comes to communication. Make people around you better. Make a difference in your organization, your community and the lives of others. Quite simply, throw as many starfish back as you can every day, and don’t step on any!
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This Month's Guest Writer

W. Steven Kidwell
President & CEO
Riddell National Bank