Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

I’m sure you’ve seen the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” if you haven’t … where in the heck have you been?

There’s a dramatic scene where, after disposing of the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy and her troupe come back to present the all powerful Wizard of Oz with the witch’s broom. While doing so, Toto, Dorothy’s pesky (some say cute) little dog gives the curtain a tug or two and the Wizard is exposed.

Once the mighty Oz realizes the gig is up, he commands, through the mechanical Wizard, with added fire and smoke for effect, that the troupe to “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Too many times leaders don’t pay attention to the “people behind the curtain” and it’s to the leaders peril. There’s an excellent book by author Thomas Connellan, “Bringing Out the Best in Others” where he cites example after example of leaders who didn’t “Pay Attention” the didn’t give feedback and their team dissolved (much like the Wicked Witch of the West in the movie).

If you want your team to grow, foster and blossom… be sure to read Connellan’s book and begin giving feedback today. Any feedback is better than no feedback.

My advice, Pay attention to the man (your team) behind the curtain (the scenes)… that person, when given feedback, support and recognition just might make you as popular and influential as the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.

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