You need to meet Charlie is you haven't already. A friend wrote THIS POST, and as a leader I see the validity in how we must be leading others to be who God made them to be. By the way, people with passion are all around us. Why aren't we giving them the opportunity to use that passion for God? Read on!
Charlie Bucket: Candidate Of The Century
written by Patrick A. Berry
For those of you that have that spark in your heart for the EXTRAordinary, you may know Charlie Bucket. He is the young boy that was the centerpiece of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory story. If you remember, Willy Wonka was determined to find the young person that had the heart [passion] to gift the entire Chocolate Factory too. Wonka was not looking for the smarts to run it because he could train the young person about chocolate this and chocolate that. Instead, he wanted Charlie Bucket, a young person who had the character, integrity, and heart to nurture the organization and take care of the Umpa Lumpas.
A real life story:
There was a young college sophomore that found a passion in his business classes to open an outdoor outfitter by the age of 30. He had 8 years, so he started working toward the goal. Every project he did in his Management and Marketing classes were based around an outdoor outfitter's success. His diligence and precision would drive his professors crazy, telling him to work on other industries and products. The student would not let up! During this time, he was working for an outfitter and took a semester off to thru hike the Appalachian Trail (yeah, all 2100 miles). When he returned, the owner approached him about rising in leadership and grooming him in the industry. Years later, the student (now graduate) and owner made a win-win agreement for buyout over 6 years because the student had the heart for it! That young man was my brother, Jason Berry, co-owner of Footsloggers in Boone, NC and he started the buy-out at 26 years old. Jason heard his heart and listened, but most importantly; the owner recognized his employee's heart and listened.
I have spent my adult life searching for the Charlie Bucket candidates to recruit and build. I have run into thousands of mediocre candidates that when asked "What is your dream job?" they respond with "to work at your company." I call that bull *%#$! If your dream job is to work at my company, you are deranged! Living a life higher than mediocre means so much more than a company, it means changing the world and defining reality.
Do you know who your organization's Charlie Bucket is? Are you the Charlie Bucket of your organization? Have you ever met a Charlie Bucket in another organization? This is why we startedSocial Village, to help people, organizations, and businesses find them!
There will be more to the Charlie Bucket story to come. I have plenty of stories of those young people that I would bet my life's work. They are the bold thinkers of their generation. I would like to hear your stories. Also, if you feel you have the "Bucket," I want to humbly coach you to greatness. The best thing that EVER happened to me was for leaders to tell me I was Charlie Bucket! If you find one, tell them immediately and coach them intensely. Let their head grow large with the idea of making the world a better place!
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
I bid you a EPIC journey until we meet again!
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