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It's About the Turkey


Today I would like to share with you a little Thanksgiving story. Actually it is a made up humorous story that I also hope will be thought provoking. It is looking at Thanksgiving from the turkey’s perspective. It is a question you can pose to your family and friends and be able to understand a little about their leadership style.
I want you to think of yourself as a turkey. There are two kinds of turkeys in this fictitious world.

Which group do you belong to?

  • The first is a group of passive turkeys who believe it is their destiny to be eaten on Thanksgiving they view it as an honor to be served and eaten. They would do anything to make sure they were one of the select Turkeys chosen for this holiday.
  • The second group is a band of turkey freedom fighters they will do anything to avoid being eaten. They think the lesser birds should be consumed because turkeys are above such a degrading display. They hideout and avoid the slaughter hoping to fight another day

Days before Thanksgiving we find the following scene:

The freedom fighter group is gobbling around with signs that say "Heck no we won't go!!" or "Eat Chicken they are the lesser bird" or "Why not a Cornish hen?" They are having a "gobble In" and they are feeding tryptophan to the police and then they sneak away when the police fall asleep.

Then the passive group is wandering around compliant and innocent excited to potentially be picked. They are fluffing their feathers and grooming their wattles. You see a line of them parading to the turkey gulags, willingly, subservient to wanting to be eaten. They know it is their destiny to be eaten and feel proud to be chosen to be served.

What group are you in?

I find myself drawn to the first group. Fighting to the end to preserve my life and hiding out until black Friday when I can shop for something to cover up my wattle.

Are you a passive subservient leader or a freedom fighter leader? Do you have what it takes to handle the difficult challenges of leadership or do you just fall in line and comply, not really strutting your leadership wattle.
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