The Yellow Brick Road of Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Wizard of Oz Table of Contents

Copyright © by Jonathan Stutz, 2014, All Rights Reserved

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MAL 650

Individual Applied Research Thesis

The Yellow Brick Road of Leadership:

Leadership Lessons from the Wizard of Oz

Jonathan Stutz

March 23, 2014

City University of Seattle


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Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….3

Introduction……………………………………………………………………….……..4

Ruby Slippers……………………………………………………………………….…...6

Dorothy’s goal…………………………………………………………………….…......8

The Scarecrow’s brains……………………………………………………….….……..12

The Tin Man’s heart…………………………………………………………………….16

The Lion’s courage……………………………………………………………….……..20

The Yellow Brick Road of Leadership………………………………………………….22

References…………………………………………………………………………….…24


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Abstract

This paper demonstrates that the discipline of leading people to successful ends requires a unique

combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities. The author examines leadership through the lens

of L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. The reader will learn that a leader’s success

is dependent upon a belief in oneself, having a goal for a better future, wisdom, emotional

intelligence, and a willingness to take action. Throughout this paper you will learn that

developing these combined capabilities is a journey, a road filled with difficulties and obstacles.

The author concludes that Baum’s fantasy provides a platform for leaders and students of

leadership to reflect and gain perspective on their own journey down the yellow brick road of

leadership.


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As a young boy growing up in the deep south of the United States I recall my family’s

tradition of watching the remarkable film, ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Immediately after the

Thanksgiving meal each year we would gather in the dim light of our family room, turn on the

television, and altogether join Dorothy, Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion on a magical

journey for home, a brain, a heart and courage. Years later during my two daughters’ youth, my

wife and I would renew this tradition with our own family. Through the countless iterations of

absorbing this film I came to understand and appreciate the underlying story, the real story that

the author L. Frank Baum is conveying to his audience. The book, originally published in 1900,

and the film, released in 1939, is about leadership and the characteristics of leaders who are

successful in accomplishing their goals and objectives.

Frank Baum, who struggled with health issues throughout this life, died at the relatively

young age of 62 long before the film was released in 1939. He deeply understood the adversities

humans face in their life’s journey, the unplanned events that you have little to no control over.

Baum learned to respond to change and adversity in his own life with a positive outlook. His life

story is about commitment and dedication to living the life he believed he was meant to live no

matter what his parents or friends thought of him. He arguably had a vision for his life and had

the gift of intelligence and developed the wisdom to execute a plan to accomplish his goal.

Through his own experience with pain and difficulty, he developed the empathy to have

compassion for the life circumstance of others. Baum was able to identify with people and

understood that people working together can achieve a synergistic level of success that in

aggregate is greater than any one individual can achieve on their own. In essence, Baum the

author was the combined persona of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion.


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Baum, born in 1856, was “a rather sickly child who was both timid and shy, he kept to

himself and made up imaginary places and playmates since he had to refrain from any kind of

strenuous exercise due to his faulty, weak heart” (Literary Traveler, 2014). Because of his health

issues, he spent many days and hours in isolation away from friends, reading fairy tales that

helped him to dream a vision of a better reality, to escape his own circumstance. This helped him

to develop his creative capabilities. As a young boy “his parents sent him away to a strict

military school to rid him of his fanciful demeanor…and curb his whimsical nature” (Literary

Traveler, 2014). This was wholly unsuccessful resulting in further harm to Baum and his health.

His parents realized this and began to nurture his creative interests, including acting. At one

point he considered a career in theatre.

Throughout his early career, Baum took risks and demonstrated qualities of persistence,

drive, and resourcefulness. This is evidenced by the span of his work that included managing his

father’s opera houses in New York and Pennsylvania, writing the script, music and lyrics for his

own play, publishing a small newspaper and a magazine, then later managing another magazine,

on two occasions running a printing press. He raised chickens and at one time was involved

breeding small, colorful birds that won awards in local competitions. During more difficult

financial times in his life, he worked as a reporter, a salesman in the family business and once

took work as a traveling salesman for a china company. Throughout his life he struggled with the

heart disease, suffering at least one heart attack.

Over the course of Baum’s life he developed a belief in himself enabled by his

determination and confidence. His journey, like that of our protagonist Dorothy, was not a

straight or direct route. Baum’s path was filled with unexpected events and setbacks. Through

the difficulties he faced, Baum pushed on and enjoyed great success with the release of the book,


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‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. This paper will demonstrate that leadership and the discipline of

leading people to successful ends requires a unique combination:

Belief in oneself facilitated by confidence and determination

A goal for a better future (‘there’s no place like home’)

Intelligence developed into wisdom (brains)

Empathy and compassion advanced to emotional intelligence (heart)

Commitment transferred to action (courage).

Join me now on a journey down the yellow brick road of leadership. On this trip you will

learn how leaders in the 21st century can benefit from Dorothy and her leadership team’s

experience.

Ruby Slippers

The powerful nature of the ruby slippers was messaged to Dorothy early in the film. Soon

after arriving in Munchkinland, Glinda the Good Witch of the North teases the Wicked Witch of

the West, “Aren't you forgetting the ruby

slippers?” and the Witch replies, “The slippers -

- yes.....the slippers!” The slippers have

magically transferred from the Wicked Witch

of the East to Dorothy’s feet and Glinda warns

Dorothy, “Keep tight inside of them -- their

magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't

want them so badly!” Later, it’s the ruby

slippers on Dorothy’s feet that become the code


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to open the door to Oz. When the guard initially refuses entrance, the Scarecrow asserts, “She’s

wearing the ruby slippers [Glinda] gave her”. The guard replies, Oh...so she is! Well, bust my

buttons! Why didn't you say that in the first place?” Our four protagonists are immediately

granted entrance (Screenplays for you, 2014).

The power and value of the ruby slippers is emphasized throughout the film yet no one,

not Dorothy nor the wise Scarecrow, nor the ‘Great and Powerful Oz’ himself correlate the

connection between the power of the ruby slippers and their ability to take her home. The team is

singularly focused on getting to Oz and having the Wizard of Oz solve their problems. Only the

Wicked Witch of the West understands the full power of the slippers. She says to the flying

monkeys, “When I gain those ruby slippers, my power will be the greatest in Oz!” (Screenplays

for you, 2014). The Wicked Witch understands that the ruby slippers can make the possessor

omnipotent - more powerful than the perceived ‘Great and Powerful Oz’.

So often in our lives we as individuals fail to see the power we hold. We look to others

for the power, we look to perceived experts, so-called wizards, whether they be our managers,

our co-workers, our mentors, our friends, our partners or spouses to provide us with the answers

we seek. In searching for answers in business or in life we can lack faith in our own capabilities,

we lack trust in the power we have within ourselves to solve our own problems. We undervalue

and overlook our own capabilities when that power is as close as the shoes on our feet.

Dorothy’s ruby slippers represent the power we all have within ourselves to make our dreams

become reality. When the Good Witch Glinda said to Dorothy, “You’ve always had the power to

go back to Kansas”, that says it all. Too often we don’t believe in our own talent and strengths”

(The Leadership Style Center, 2014). “The overarching message is that everything you require to

enjoy this life is inside you right this moment” (Brandstorm, 2014).


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The proverb ‘experience is the best teacher’ is an axiom that has been shared for over 400

years (Answers Corporation, 2014). This year the movie, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ celebrates 75 years

since its premiere on the silver screen. The overarching message we can extract from “you’ve

always had the power to go back to Kansas”, is that Dorothy has always had the ability to

achieve her goal, to get back home. It was over 350 years ago that Galileo wrote, “One cannot

teach a man anything. One can only enable him to learn from within himself” (LeadershipNow,

2011). When A. A. Milne wrote ‘The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh’ in 1926, his character

Christopher Robin shared similar words of wisdom with Pooh bear, “Promise me you’ll always

remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you

think” (Milne, 1926). “Good leaders know that some things have to be experienced. You can’t

always get the important lesson from being taught or reading a book. This is true in all of life,

whether you are driving a car, catching a wave, throwing a baseball, or riding a bike. And being

a leader also falls into this category. Some things require experience. It’s a developmental

process and must be started at the beginning” (LeadershipTraq, 2013). “It's always best to start at

the beginning [Glinda advised]…and all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road” (Screenplays

for you, 2014).

Dorothy’s goal

Seven years ago when my daughter was graduating high school she told my wife and me

that she wanted to go to medical school one day. We had no clue at that time what obstacles she

would face along the way. Katie faced many challenges over the years since that first

announcement and through each obstacle, no matter how difficult or complex, she continued to

repeat to us and anyone within ear shot that she was going to become a medical doctor. There

were many times where my wife and I were deeply concerned she might not succeed and as


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parents wondered how she would respond to a life-altering defeat. Today, Katie is in the second

semester of her first year of medical school. She found a way to overcome each of the hurdles

that were put on her yellow brick

road. Katie has direction and like

Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz,

she never stopped thinking about her

goal. Dorothy wanted to go home and

no matter the size of the challenge

she was determined to get there.

Dorothy and Katie have vision and

clarity of purpose. Dorothy “overcame the many obstacles that she encountered, no matter how

daunting. No menacing trees throwing apples would stop her. No poppy fields with sleeping

potion could keep her down. No big, intimidating door would keep her locked up…nothing was

going to stop Dorothy from moving forward toward her goal. She was focused and determined to

get where she was going – home” (Power of Positivity, 2014). Dorothy also had clarity of

purpose, telling everyone that she met there’s no place like home. “She came to realize this. With

all of her incredible adventures and friendships along the way, this was her constant goal

throughout the storyline. She never lost this very clear picture of the future, in spite of all the

distractions” (LeadershipTraq, 2013).

In the book, “Toto’s Reflections: The Leadership Lessons from the Wizard of Oz”, the

author writes in the voice of Toto. In Toto’s words we learn that [Dorothy’s] “values and beliefs

were rooted in the notion of ‘home’ as a place of security. And so, we all got behind her to help

make that dream of going home to Kansas a reality. We knew where she wanted to go, and we


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believed the dream with her. That’s the essence of commitment. When we believe something so

much that we start telling everyone around us about it. Commitment is accepting the leader’s

perspective and making it our own. When you’ve created commitment among those who follow

you as a leader, you can change anything!!” (Fickenscher, 2013, Loc. 699-705). Dorothy had

commitment to a goal that gave her direction. The goal motivated those around her to not only

join her on the journey but also to do everything in their power to help her succeed. “Show you

are committed – embrace your followers, share your thoughts and listen when your followers

respond. Driving commitment requires repetition – if you say it over and over again, your

followers will get what you are saying and start living it with you. Repetition helps drive the

importance of what you are saying so that your followers will not lose sight of what you are

attempting to accomplish over time. Furthermore, by continuously speaking up and sharing your

commitment, you will be able to scatter the energy of those who would undermine your

objectives” (Fickenscher, 2013, Loc.717-723).

Yet Dorothy did more than tell everyone she wanted to go home. Very importantly, she

was able to align her individual goals with the goals of the group. Leadership is much more than

telling people to go down the yellow brick road. It’s about authentically engaging them in the

adventure. Effective leaders will invest the time to understand what individual team members’

goals can be achieved through the team’s goals. Why? Because individual team members will

often ask themselves, what’s in it for me?

Exceptional teamwork derives from aligned WIIFM (What’s in it for me?). The reasons

why each of the protagonists want to go to Oz are different, but the destination is the

same. Everyone needs to get to the Emerald City to see the Wizard. The journey is safer

and more productive traveling together, and ultimately the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, Lion


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and Dorothy become a powerful team that defeats their nemesis and creates a better

future for Oz. Great causes must accommodate individual purposes. Effective leaders

seek to understand the personal needs and motivations of followers, and help to align

individual purposes with the higher purpose of the organization (Yusoontom, 2012).

To achieve alignment of her team Dorothy takes a participative approach to leadership.

Participative leadership is “primarily a relations-oriented behavior [and] also has implications for

achieving task objectives and implementing change” (Yukl, 2013, p. 106). Clearly all three are in

play throughout Dorothy’s journey to Oz. At one time or another we observe all of the characters

utilizing participative leadership as they face circumstances with variables that demand a custom

approach to be effective. Sometimes the Scarecrow will make a decision without asking for the

opinion of the others, such as the plan to enter the Witch’s castle to rescue Dorothy. In this same

instance the Scarecrow demonstrates delegation capabilities by telling the Lion that he will lead

them into the castle. At other points in time the group makes a joint decision such as when

Dorothy whispers to the Scarecrow about inviting the Tin Man to join them for the trip to Oz,

and again later when the Scarecrow consults with Dorothy and the Tin Man about including the

Lion on the journey to help him with his lack of courage. There are “four potential benefits [of

participative leadership that] include higher decision quality, higher decision acceptance by

participants, more satisfaction with the decision process, and more development of decision-

making skills” (Yukl, 2013, p. 107-108). The overall success of participative leadership for

Dorothy in achieving her personal goals as well as the goals of her teammates is based upon their

ability to each have a sense of ownership and accountability for the success of the overall

journey to Oz. While the research indicates that the effects of participative leadership are mixed,

“the lack of consistent results about the effectiveness of participative leadership reflects that each


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type of participative decision procedure is effective in some situations but not in others” (Yuki,

2013, p. 111). The varied and situational-sensitive manner in which Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the

Tin Man and the Lion utilize participative leadership were contributing factors in their success.

As well, they each bring unique characteristics (i.e., knowledge, skills and abilities) that the

others are able to appreciate even when they do not see these qualities within themselves. It is the

diversity of this team, the differences between each of them, which help to make them a strong

and powerful force against the Wicked Witch of the West. The team’s awareness and then

consideration for these differences in their work together is another key factor contributing to

their overall success in achieving the team goal of meeting the Wizard of Oz as well as each

individual’s personal goals of a heart, a brain, the nerve and a home.

The Scarecrow’s brains

As a parent of two grown children I reflect back on some of the advice I gave to my

daughters when they were growing up. One piece of wisdom that I shared was that there was a

difference between book-smart and

street-smart. They might love to read

and achieve top grades in school yet

they would be able to navigate the

challenges in life to achieve their

potential and accomplish their goals?

Over the years I have learned that it is

far more difficult to be a great leader

than it is to understand the qualities of great leaders. One can be book-smart about leadership yet

how does one achieve the street-smarts of leadership to actually become a great leader?


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Having knowledge is one thing; having wisdom is yet another attribute altogether. “You

can be the smartest person in the room, but if you don’t think through the situation in the

moment, consider the possibilities and implications, and believe in where you are and where you

want to go – the solutions will evade you. And one of the reasons followers follow leaders is

because they offer solutions that make sense and seem reasonable…I believe it is imperative for

effective leaders to step back from the hullabaloo of the moment and refresh themselves by

reflecting” (Fickenscher, 2013, Loc. 571-577).

The Scarecrow thinks he has no brain, but in fact he is a highly reflective thinker and

given a little time to think he produces amazing solutions to problems. There is a scene in

the forest where Dorothy and the Scarecrow stop to pick some apples but the apple tree

does not want to hand over the fruit so easily and puts up a fight. The scarecrow hatches a

plan to annoy the tree and he taunts the tree until it becomes so angry it starts to throw

apples at him, letting go of the very thing it desperately wanted to hold on to. Ultimately

it is the scarecrow that puts together the plan to rescue Dorothy from the castle of the

Wicked Witch (Spectrain.co.uk, 2014).

The Scarecrow’s capability to reflect in the moment is a skill that helped to keep the team

on a positive path to the Land of Oz. “Thinking is not simply about ideas. In fact, thinking may

not even be the right word. It’s probably more accurate to say contemplating. It’s about

collecting our thoughts, reflecting for a moment, and then moving forward. In life, far too many

leaders fail to adhere to this simple adage of: think and reflect, then move on…it’s a guaranteed

formula for failure if we don’t reflect…too often, the leaders hear themselves or listen to one

another without paying attention to the questions being asked by their followers. Listening to

followers is a difficult but important task – perhaps one of the most important tasks for leaders.


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Listening – whether you are in the midst of a storm or enjoying the quiet of the afternoon – is

really, really important” (Fickenscher, 2013, Loc. 504-528).

While the Scarecrow, Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Lion were provided with very

specific guidance to follow the yellow brick road in order to reach Oz to meet the Wizard, they

did not anticipate the difficulties they would face along the way. Nor did they anticipate when

they reached Oz they would be given the herculean task of returning with the Wicked Witch of

the West’s broom in order to have the Wizard grant their requests. The task to acquire the

witch’s broom is an adaptive leadership challenge. Adaptive leadership is “the practice of

mobilizing people to not only survive difficult challenges but thrive. “Thriving" in this sense

means growing, improving, capitalizing on the change” (Adaptive Leadership, 2014).

As the Wizard pushes our band of characters back into the forest in search of the Witch’s

castle, they do not know how they are going to acquire the Witch’s broom, they only know they

must get it. When faced with a very difficult and complex problem to which no one individual

has ‘the answer,’ solutions will evolve over time through the group’s interaction and shared

experience. There are many examples of how our heroes learn how to solve this problem

together. For example, when the Wicked Witch orders the Flying Monkeys to mug the

Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion, then kidnap Dorothy and Toto, it is the Scarecrow with his straw

pulled from him and laying all over the forest floor, who gathers the strength to urge his

comrades to put him together. Later, when Toto escapes the witch’s castle and races back to find

the three of them together, it is the Scarecrow who figures out that Toto has come to take them to

Dorothy. While the Tin Man struggles to climb the mountain to the Witch’s castle he figures out

how to work as a team, to use the Lion’s strength and tail, to help him ascend. Upon reaching the

castle, it is the Scarecrow who hatches a plan for how to enter the castle with the plan for the


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Lion leading the way. However, they must quickly adapt their initial plan when they are

discovered by three of the Witch’s guards. They end up in a brawl where they knock out the

guards and take the guard’s uniforms. This fight was not planned yet its outcome drew them

closer to their goal. Next, because they have taken the guard’s uniforms they are able to easily

slip into the castle marching behind the last guard as the draw bridge begins to close behind

them. Together, they solve the difficult and seemingly impossible task of entering the well-

guarded, mote protected castle through adaptive problem solving.

“Adaptive challenges are difficult because their solutions require people to change their

ways. Unlike known or routine problem solving for which past ways of thinking, relating, and

operating are sufficient for achieving positive outcomes, adaptive work demands three very

tough human tasks: figuring out what to conserve from past practices, figuring out what to

discard from past practices, and inventing new ways that build from the best of the past”

(Heifetz, Grashow, Linsky, 2009, p. 69). This is illustrated again once in the castle. Through

Toto’s well-timed barking they are led up the staircase by Toto and confronted with yet another

difficult job, opening the massive, locked door that imprisons Dorothy. Our heroes improvise by

using the Tin Man’s ax to break down the door, freeing Dorothy. Later, as they attempt to escape

the castle, the doors slam shut and they are foiled again as the Wicked Witch and her castle

guards move in; it is the Scarecrow again that notices the opportunity. The fire lit chandelier is

looming above the castle guards. In the heat of the showdown, the Scarecrow grabs the ax from

the Tin Man and splits the rope holding the chandelier on high. The chandelier falls on the castle

guards enabling our band of four to escape once again. A chase ensues through the castle and it

is the Scarecrow who sneaks Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man and the Lion away from the guards.

Soon after they are trapped on the guard path of the outer castle wall. As the Wicked Witch


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attempts to burn the Scarecrow with her now burning broom it is Dorothy facing her own

imminent death who grabs a bucket of water to put out the Scarecrow’s burning arm while at the

same time soaking the Wicked Witch and unknowingly causing her death. The guards joyous

and celebrating the Wicked Witch’s death graciously gift the Witch’s broom to Dorothy. From

these examples we can appreciate that “leadership…requires a learning strategy. A leader has to

engage people in facing the challenge, adjusting their values, changing perspectives, and

developing new habits of behavior. One may lead with no more than a question in hand”

(Heifetz, 1994, p. 276). In this case, the catalyst is the Wizard’s promise, “Bring me her

broomstick, and I’ll grant your requests” (Screenplays for you, 2014).

The Tin Man’s heart

When students of leadership consider the key attributes of top business leaders today it

would be unusual for any student to initially characterize any top leader in terms of how much

compassion they have for their followers. In a December 2012 Forbes Magazine article listing

the top ten qualities of a great

leader, compassion or any related

synonym for compassion was absent

from the list (Forbes.com LLC,

2014). However, compassion and

authenticity are traits most often

associated with the heart of a leader

(Tan, 2012). Authentic,

compassionate leaders, those with so-called ‘heart’ often achieve success through their ability to

motivate and inspire their followers to high performance levels. As we delve in to better


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understand the underlying personal characteristics of heart-centered leaders we learn that these

“leaders not only need to share their ideas, but also how they feel about the ideas in a way that

ultimately shows their own vulnerability...[To] stand before [their] followers, asking for their

support, is an act of courage, heart and thoughtfulness. This means that having heart is the

pinnacle of susceptibility for any leader. It is the exhilaration of possibility and the reality of

exposure to criticism all bundled together. But it’s not just emotions that followers want to see.

They want to see the real you – not just the pulse of your being” (Fickenscher, 2013, Loc. 586-

592).

L. Frank Baum, the author of the book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” was a role model

for compassion and empathy enabled through his own personal experience with pain and

suffering. We observe this with each of the main characters in the Wizard of Oz as an outcome

of their own experience with adversity. What did the Tin Man teach us? “Express how you feel,

have compassion, and others will follow…leaders need to lead with heart as well as thought and

courage, along with all of the other elements of leadership…so if you want to be a leader,

recognize that having heart, more importantly, sharing heart – creates a reason for others to

follow you. If your passion is felt out in the open, followers will not only follow, but they will

carve pathways through forests for you…creating passion about our ideas – or having heart –

shows that we care about changing the world and making a difference…We need to have heart to

create heart. And we create heart by developing our disciples” (Fickenscher, 2013, Loc. 647-

659).

Leaders with heart encourage the heart of their followers with words, “You can do it” or

“We will succeed” or “We will not fail”. This encouragement helps to reduce stress and

increases productivity (Business-leadership-qualities.com, 2014). A pivotal scene in the movie


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demonstrates the heart of the leader when Dorothy says to her team, “There’s the Emerald City!

Oh, we’re almost there at last! At last! It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Just like I knew it would be.” Her

enthusiasm is infectious and the Lion says, “Well, come on, then. What are we waiting for?” The

Scarecrow replies, “Nothing! Let’s hurry!” Dorothy responds, “Yes, let’s run!” As they begin to

run, the Scarecrow yells, “Come on, come on” and the Tin Man encourages the group, “Hurry,

hurry” and the four of them have increase their speed and with it, their optimism to ultimately

succeed in their quest (Screenplays for you, 2014).

Having heart as a leader means shedding the exterior image that can be perceived as cold,

hard metal with a hollow, empty interior. Having heart as a leader means opening up to people,

sharing how you feel, and sharing your passion about your ideas. Having heart as a leader means

listening to your followers, hearing their ideas, and understanding the source of the passion being

conveyed to you as their leader. Having heart as a leader means standing up for your principles,

your values, and what you believe is right. Heart centered leadership is about “leaders who

realize that self-care and authenticity have a deeply significant impact on the satisfaction and

well-being of their workforce and, by extension, the bottom line” (Heart Centered Leadership,

2014). Leaders with the capability to expose their inner self, expose their vulnerabilities have the

potential of “creating emotionally engaged, tuned in employees who are highly motivated to

want to do their best work for you…creating a workplace that attracts – and keeps – the best and

the brightest…keeping customers and clients satisfied and using your products and services

consistently” (Heart Centered Leadership, 2014).

“Putting your people first is to treat them with empathy and compassion. Acquire a love

for people. In reality, we do not lead organizations or businesses. No. We lead people. We are

successful if we know how to lead people. People are the name of the game and the best way to


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become a leader is to love people. Your people can tell instinctively whether or not you have

their best interests at heart. If they feel you don’t care for them, they will not follow. Leadership

is the art of directing people we care for to achieve a common desired goal” (Brandstorm.co.za).

Some specific examples of how leaders can lead with their heart:

1. Connect work to a mission, for example, to journey to Oz and meet with the Wizard

2. Connect to your co-workers – build strong relationships through a shared experience on

the journey

3. Leave no employee behind – inviting people to participate to achieve your shared goals

4. Insist on work/life balance – such as taking time for self-care and grooming before

meeting the Wizard of Oz for the first time (“pat, pat, here, pat, pat there, and a couple of

brand new straws. That’s how we keep you young and fair in the merry old land of Oz”)

5. Share the wealth (the success)

6. Have more fun – happy employees are more productive and singing along journey is fun

(“We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz”)

7. Believe in the power of each person – one person can make all the difference (Atlanta

Journal-Constitution, 2014).

“Our heart is that place inside us that defines who we are, what we believe, how we

decide and which direction we take others. It is where wisdom is birthed and the ability to enjoy

life begins. Our heart is where our deepest passions reside and most meaningful dreams

originate. Our best performance tends to flow from the heart” (Authentic Leadership Inc., 2014).

The traits and characteristics of heart-centered leadership are most closely aligned with ethical

leadership theories and specifically, authentic leadership.


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“Authentic leaders have positive core values such as honesty, altruism, kindness, fairness,

accountability, and optimism. These core values motivate authentic leaders to do what is right

and fair for followers, and to create a special type of relationship that includes high mutual trust,

transparency (open and honest communication), guidance toward worthy shared objectives, and

emphasis on follower welfare and development. The self-concepts and self-identities of authentic

leaders are strong, clear, stable, and consistent. These leaders have a high self-awareness about

their values, beliefs, emotions, self-identities, and abilities. In other words, they know who they

are and what they believe. They also have a high degree of self-acceptance, which is similar to

emotional maturity” (Yukl, 2013, p.

351).

The Lion’s courage

In business, as in sports, as in

life, we are constantly faced with

change. Change in the economic and

financial environment, a change in

momentum, a change in personnel.

To paraphrase an old cliché, change is as certain as death and taxes. All of us deal with change

differently, yet most of us resist change in one manner or another – just as we resist death and

taxes. In business, when leading a company or a department or even an individual project, how

we lead people through change and guide them to manage their resistance can be a key to the

success of the work. When people come together at the end of a project it’s not uncommon to

perform a post-mortem review, also known as an after-action report. This is a time for the project

team to reflect back on what worked well, what did not go as well as planned, and what would


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the team potentially add, drop or keep from the past work in future work projects. This exercise

can help teams to identify the critical contributing factors that led to the project’s level of

success. Often times through this process it’s discovered that the team’s ability to successfully

navigate the change management process was a contributing factor to the project’s overall

outcome. The website Modern Analyst lists the top 26 reasons projects succeed or fail; effective

change management is the number seven item on the list (Modern Analyst Media, LLC, 2013). If

it is human nature to resist change then what human characteristics are necessary to enable

change to occur? A term most often associated with successful change management is

commitment - a commitment to enable change by taking action when the risks are apparent and

the likelihood of failure is very real. We experience courage when our commitment to change

enables us to overcome our fear of failure. Suddenly a dark forest filled with angry, animated

trees throwing apples becomes a method to collect food so we can continue successfully down

the yellow brick road. Courage is experienced when our commitment to change enables us to

devise an action strategy to rescue our friends from the witch’s castle despite the flying monkeys

that just mugged you and your teammates while kidnapping your friend and her dog.

Terms associated with commitment include perseverance and courage. In the

performance reviews of employees who manage change it would not be uncommon to hear the

words ‘commitment’ and ‘perseverance’ yet wholly uncommon for the term ‘courage’ to

describe a leader of change. Courage is a word more often associated with taking risks, typically

in life threatening circumstances. However, leading change management projects is all about

taking risks and leading change against walls of resistance requiring perseverance and yes,

courage. It takes courage to “recognize and acknowledge the full reality of a situation and to


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respond to it effectively…[it takes courage to] “summon the commitment to follow through with

the solutions identified, especially when there is great risk in doing so” (Levit, 2013).

According to the Baird Group, “True courage comes when we are able to convey our

commitments both to others and ourselves…commitment is the energy that feeds the soul of

followers…by believing in something and acting upon it, we show commitment. It takes courage

to challenge the status quo and stay the course. Change is hard – it takes guts and perseverance to

withstand resistance and do what is best for the [organization]” (Baird Group, 2014).

Is the opposite of courage, fear? “Fear immobilizes us. It’s an obstacle to success and

makes us followers instead of leaders. It diminishes our initiative, enthusiasm and desire to

succeed. At the end of the movie when the Lion is awarded his medal of courage, he still felt the

fear but understood that even courageous people feel fear. He thought that he was courageous

and consequently be became so. His medal became an outward validation of an inner change”

(Brandstorm, 2014). “The lion is a big talker, he appears to be assertive, confident and yet we

know that despite his big front he does not possess the courage to take action. It’s okay to be

afraid but never ever let that fear prevent you from taking the necessary action. Courage is not

the absence of fear but the ability to control it” (Spectrain.co.uk, 2014).

The yellow brick road of leadership

Some managers in organizations today are fortunate to have executive coaches who

advise them on how to be more effective leaders. One coach at this author’s company offered the

advice to block out two hours of each week for ‘white space’. White space is dedicated time

away from the people and the work. It is a set period of time for personal reflection to

contemplate and to gain perspective. The value of white space can be immense, facilitating


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greater clarity of thought, the generation of innovative ideas and different ways of thinking about

anything related to work or one’s broader life. Frank Baum’s masterful literary discourse of

fantasy provides ‘white space’ for leaders. A fantasy in the Land of Oz far away from the

difficulties leaders face each day yet offering a platform to reflect and gain perspective on our

own journey down the yellow brick road of leadership.


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