Be a hummingbird, not a gnat

The other day I had a few minutes to myself and found myself thinking about the difference between gnats and hummingbirds.

Gnats can be annoying. Okay, gnats are always annoying. I cannot remember a time where I thought to myself, “I am really grateful for that gnat.” These insects move seemingly without purpose and love to hang around such strong scents as sweat and animals.

Now consider hummingbirds. They are not attracted to sweaty things at all. No, they love bright flowers that are full of life and provide nourishment. They flit and zip from one flower to the next in the blink of an eye. They take deep, long drinks from the flower, full of sweet nectar. The flower responds by producing more. The cycle is perpetual.

So, while the gnat looks for heat and wet sweat, the hummingbird looks for sweet. What a difference between the two. Look closely and you’ll see leadership lessons to be taken from all of this. Let’s unpack and take a look at three of them.

 

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