There was once an argument between the wind and the sun about who was stronger than the other. They argued for a long time but neither of them emerged the winner. It wasn’t too long before they spotted a man walking on the road. Looking at the man wearing a coat, an idea struck them both.
They challenged each other that the one who succeeded in removing the coat from the man’s back was the strongest.
The wind volunteered to try first. It began to blow hard, raising gusts of air and making it harder for the man to take a step further.
But, the man clutched his coat tight around him and resumed walking with great difficulty.
The wind continued blowing harder and harder, but the man held on to his coat tighter and tighter. And continued his journey forward. Finally, the wind was exhausted and gave up. His efforts had been futile.
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It was now the turn of the sun. He looked at the man and began to gently shine upon the path the man was walking on.
The man looked up at the sky – surprised at the change in weather.
The sun did not spend much energy, neither did he apply any effort. He just continued shining upon the man’s head gently.
Soon the man was huffing and puffing, and sweating profusely.
Unable to bear the rising heat, the man finally took off his coat and headed to a nearby tree to rest for a while under its shade.
Moral: Sometimes gentle persuasion is mightier than the strongest force.
***
In our personal or professional life, we come across situations which require us to get work done by others. The age-old Management principle of ‘a Carrot and Stick’ is often considered to be the only way of accomplishing that task efficiently. Ironically, in today’s fast-paced world, most of us rely on using force, in their quest to be at the forefront in the rat-race, and getting work done faster.
It is but a gentle persuasion, which acts as motivation and helps in getting most of the jobs done in a much simpler way.
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