A Wishbone, a Backbone and a Funny bone

Country western singers have a knack for turning a phrase.  This one is from Reba McEntire.  The complete quote is “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.”

I agree completely.  Not a bad formula for leadership either.  When coaching, I often find myself describing a principle I refer to as the three legged stool principle. The idea is that for a stool to be in “balance” or to be “stable” we need to have equal support on all three legs. I am amazed at how often things occur in increments of threes.  In numerology, the meaning of the number three is reward and success, it also represents the connection between past present and future, and also creativity and abundance. But enough on that…  Let’s look at these three qualities and why they are so important to our effective leadership.

A Wishbone

I like the idea of a wishbone.  When we try to split a wishbone, we pull and  hope for the best.  But the point is that we don’t just close our eyes and make a wish, we PULL. Thought inspired action!   And, perhaps more importantly, we pull carefully.  We think about how to use the leverage, we consider the torque.  We observe what our opponent is doing so as to best respond to their approach. What a perfect metaphor for great leadership! Success comes with observation, strategy, optimism and a little luck.

A Backbone

A backbone is defined as a mainstay or cornerstone. In the urban dictionary it is defined as guts. It takes guts to be a good leader.  You need to believe in yourself and be brave enough to trust your instincts even when you don’t have a lot of belief in yourself. Effective leaders need to challenge the familiar and inspire support for new directions. Without guts you are just a participant; the “was also in attendance ” mention in the historical chronicle of the great success story.

A Funny bone

Everyday life is remarkably funny.  I find humor everywhere.  Even in despair I find irony and opportunities for self-deprecation. Humor is critical to our emotional well-being.  As leaders, it gives us resilience in times of great adversity and connects us to one another in our humility. Great leaders know how to laugh, they know how to take their work very seriously and themselves not quite so seriously.   

So the three-legged stool of leadership, at least for today, is the wishbone the backbone and the funny bone!  How is your balance?

image credit: brookfieldcraftcenter.com