There are many apocryphal stories about Abraham Lincoln. In one, Abe was challenged to a tree cutting contest by an upstart neighbor. Abe took the challenge. The two met the next day at sunrise in a wooded area and started the contest. The challenger started at a furious pace, taking no breaks, and kept on cutting until the contest was stopped when the sun hit high noon. As expected, Abe won.
Afterward, the competitor went up to Abe and asked, “How was it that you were able to cut more trees? I never took a rest and never stopped swinging my axe, even when my arms were ready to give out. Yet, when I looked over at you, you would stop to take rest?”
Abe responded, “Every time you saw me stop to rest, I was sharpening my axe.”
Abe knew that an axe gets dull with repeated use. The more you use it, the less it cuts. With a sharper axe, Abe was able to cut more trees.
The sharper your tools are, the more you can do. Your tools are your skills. Sharpen your skills on a regular basis. Any skill worth learning is worth practicing and getting better at. Learn new skills. Whether it is people skills or technical skills, the good leader never stops learning and improving their toolbox of good leadership, management and technical skills.
What skills do you need to improve? What new skills should you learn?
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