A Good Dancer Must Know When To Leave The Stage

Feature Article A Good Dancer Must Know When To Leave The Stage

TUE, 23 APR 2019 1

Patrick Lumumba once said “Time limits are good things. No matter how good a dancer you are, you must leave the stage”. This saying caught my attention. I didn’t know what to make of this saying but I believe it has a deeper meaning which is relatable to our own lives.

This statement is a leadership statement. You may be depressed by how people at the top treat others who are trying to make it to the top like them. Instead of them being a ladder to help them climb, some became antagonist who wants to bring them down because of the fear of them overtaking them.

I have always emphasized on the fact that great leaders build people, they don’t invest in material things. Buildings can make sense when it is built to build people. I strongly believe that people will outlast building or all the material possession we have at hand.

One must make it a habit to support or vacate the stage when his time is up. You may be very good in your area of expertise but once you identify someone, believe in them and support them. Give others the opportunities to do what you are doing in order to build their confidence.

Believe in others when they take up initiatives, Just give them the stage when the time is due. But if you can’t help them, please don’t dampen their spirit. It may be your turn today like the dancer who thinks he is the best, but I believe just like the way the dancer has a time limit to perform, he will one day vacate the stage.

We are on a stage in this life and when our time is due we will surely leave. But before we leave, let us train others to take over the mantle when we are gone and make them better than us. Don’t cling to your position because your value is in your position. Your value is measured according to the number of people you trained, served and touched.

Make this your slogan: “No matter how good you are if you stay for too long, you will end up loosing it” A good dancer must know when the vacate the stage.

It is well
Author: Tsifodze Ernest
www.tsifodzeernest.com
All images and names used in this story do not reflect the true identities of the original characters

"Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence".- Sheryl Sandberg . More Ernest Tsifodze is a coach and an author on leadership. He is the author of “A Life Beyond The Ordinary”. He is also the founder of Leaders of Change, a non-profit organization that trains about 500 youth from different parts of the world every month on leadership and personal development themes. He is a columnist on Modern Ghana (modernghana.com/author/ErnestTsifodze) and blogs at www.tsifodzeernest.com.

Ernest holds a BSc. in Real Estate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and a Masters in Built Environment from Anant National University, India.Column: Ernest Tsifodze

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