Like finding a $20 dollar bill in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn for a while, it’s always delightful to rediscover inspirational gems. Over the past few weeks I’ve been working with a very progressive and delightful Client to finalize a two-day management training workshop we’ve been customizing for their senior and middle managers. This Leading @ the Speed of Change workshop is the last in a series of leadership development events and activities in Flynn’s corporate university (an example of why they’ve been named a Best Managed Company 11 years in a row.)

Gerard Montocchio, Flynn’s VP of Human Resources, has been thoroughly poring through many of my books and workbooks as we’ve been pulling together material tailored for their company. In some of our planning meetings he shows up with bookmarks, sticky notes, and references to my materials that show he might know it better than I do! As we worked on how to conclude this workshop – which is the last of the Flynn U series for these participants – Gerard wanted to emphasize personal growth, leadership development commitments, and habits. He reminded me of a wonderful verse that I’d picked up in my “pack rat research habits” along the way and published in Growing @ the Speed of Change. The author is unknown:

Asset or Liability: Who Am I?
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.

Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me,
For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.
I am easily managed, just be firm with me.

Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
machine and the intelligence of a person.

You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.
And I will then…do it automatically.

I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.