Lessons From The Wizard Of Oz

I received an email this morning with this short article about the Wizard of Oz from Will Craig, who writes about coaching others:

Most of us are familiar with the story of Dorothy and the friends she meets on her way to find the Wizard. The Scarecrow who felt he lacked a brain; the Tin Man who didn’t think he had a heart; and the Cowardly Lion who wished he had courage.

The Wizard (a man whose heart was in the right place but whose ethics needed some work) actually exercised some effective coaching skills at the end of the story.

For each of Dorothy’s three friends, he fostered a sense of belief that they, indeed, had those things they sought so desperately. He convinced the Scarecrow he was smart by giving him a diploma. The Tin Woodsman received his gift from the Wizard and knew he now had a heart because it was breaking. The Cowardly Lion became instantly courageous when he received his medal for bravery.

He then goes on in the article to talk about the power of believing in yourself. While that may be important, I believe there is an even more important lesson for each of us here.

The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion all were down UNTIL someone spoke words of encouragement to them. It was that encouragement which lifted them up and allowed them to begin to believe in themselves.

This is true of many around us. They could be hurting and not even show it. Your encouragement could be exactly what they need to lift them up above the fog. So why not encourage someone today!

But encourage one another daily.

Hebrews 3:13a