The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a story that has lasted generations.  First a children’s novel written by Frank Baum written in 1900 and then adapted into movies, and stage productions, it is a lasting story with many messages and life metaphors.

Recently I had the privilege of hearing an executive address a group of “high potential” leaders in his company, and he used Oz as a leadership metaphor.  He believed that you needed three characteristics to be an excellent leader:

Brains:  Like the scarecrow, you need brains.  Being smart is important, but we are not just talking about “book smart”.  There is “life smart” also, and knowing people and how to influence them is just as important as understanding and applying principles of process and finance.

Heart:  Being empathetic and understanding, showing up for people when they are in need.  I know that this particular leader that gave this talk missed an important team dinner so that he could attend the funeral service of the spouse of an employee.  We may not always get it right, but it is important to “have heart” and make the effort to do the right thing for folks.

Courage:  Perhaps the most difficult of the Oz metaphors to follow.  We have the opportunity to step into courage every day.  Telling a customer no on a discount and still booking the sale with a “yes”, giving a colleague or direct report feedback that they need to improve their performance and examples of what we mean.  It is difficult to be courageous in our relationships, and necessary if we are to exemplify excellent leadership

It’s easy to see the analogies here from Oz to Leadership.  In each of these buckets are you achieving and excelling?  In what other areas could you use some work?  We all should strive to achieve balance between brains, heart and courage, what is your balance?