| Any leadership development which is not based | | | | not know what the other runners knew. He did |
| on truth is sure to fail sooner or later. However, is | | | | not know 'the truth' about what it took to run the |
| it possible that the truth can hurt your ability to | | | | race. |
| lead and to influence and to empower other | | | | You see the other runners would run for eighteen |
| people? We all know that the truth is its own best | | | | hours and sleep for six hours. The 'truth' was that |
| defense and that those who live by it have little | | | | it was not humanly possible to complete the race |
| to fear. However, it is also true what we don't | | | | any other way. Therefore, when people saw that |
| know can never hurt us as much as what we | | | | Cliff had been running while the other runners |
| 'know' that is still untrue. In order to understand | | | | slept, they feared for his safety because he |
| this, let us look at a great story of leadership | | | | apparently did not know 'the truth.' Over the span |
| development. | | | | of the next few days, be trudged on past the |
| Every year, The Australia holds a 543.7 mile | | | | other runners claiming that he did not need to |
| endurance race form Sydney to Melbourne. This is | | | | sleep. |
| considered one of the world's most difficult | | | | He did not know 'the truth.' |
| marathons. It takes five days to run and is only | | | | He won. He set a new world record and a new |
| attempted by world class athletes who are under | | | | record for the marathon and a new standard for |
| the age of 30. In 1983 a 61 Year old Farmer | | | | every runner in the future. Today, competitors |
| named Cliff young came to run the race wearing | | | | for the Sydney to Melbourne marathon do not |
| overalls and work boots. Of course, the public and | | | | sleep and many of them have used the 'Young |
| the media challenged him doubting that we could | | | | Shuffle' to win the race because it is more energy |
| finish the race. | | | | efficient. Today, 'the truth' is no longer the truth. |
| Cliff claimed that he had grown up on a 2000 | | | | Someone came along who did not know better |
| acre sheep farm where they had no means of | | | | and therefore was not limited because he did not |
| transportation. He would often have to chase | | | | know 'the truth.' |
| down runaway sheep for days on end until he | | | | In leadership development, the truth perhaps |
| caught them. Of course, people doubted him and | | | | matters more than anything. However, the truth |
| as he began to run and they saw that he made | | | | should never be made subject to our experiences |
| more of a shuffle than he did a run they even | | | | and our beliefs about what can and can't be done. |
| laughed at him. Here is the clincher though: Cliff did | | | | This is a truth which any leader must live by. |