​The following comes from a wonderful book titled “Leadership Gold,” written by John Maxwell.  It is an amazing story about preparation — about the process.  It’s about understanding you can’t fake the harvest.  You can reap your crops in the fall if you haven’t paid the price of managing your farm the year around.  Here’s Maxwell’s story:

As a small private jet approached the runway, we were celebrating the success of the week. Then, in a moment, everything changed. The plane was hit by wind shear and dropped straight down to the runway, the wheels hitting out of balance. All conversation stopped and our eyes widened as we realized we were in danger. The pilot, without hesitation, pushed the throttle and launched the plane back into the air. In a split second we went from celebration to sober reflection. We all realized that could have been it! We sat quietly as the plane circled the airfield, and a few minutes later we landed safely.

We all applauded and now began to relax and breathe. As we got off the plane, we thanked the captain for keeping us safe. I said to him, “That was a close call. You responded so quickly to the crisis. When did you make the decision to put the plane back into the air?”

His reply amazed me: “Fifteen years ago.”

He went on to explain how as a young pilot in training, he decided in advance what decision he would make for every possible air problem. “The choice was made long before the crisis,” he said.

​Rudyard Kipling wrote these opening four lines in his The Law for the Wolves from a section of his book The Second Jungle Book:
 
NOW this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,
 
And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
 
As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;
 
For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack
 
Phil Jackson (eleven championships as an NBA Coach) made this verse the team motto of the Chicago Bulls during their first NBA championship season (1990–91) and put it at the beginning of the player's scouting report during the first round of the 1991 playoffs.
 
Twenty years earlier, John Wooden (ten National NCAA Championships as a coach) wrote the following in his pre-season letter to the eventual 1971-72 National Championship team members:
 
In every group activity there must be supervision and leadership and a disciplined effort by all, or much of our united strength will be dissipated pulling against ourselves. There is much truth in Kipling’s Law of the Jungle, where he says "… the strength of the pack is the wolf, but the strength of the wolf is the pack." If you discipline yourself toward team effort under the supervision of the coach, even though you may not always agree with his decisions, much can and will be accomplished. As someone once said, "You will be amazed at how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit."
 
In 1991, Phil Jackson had a great individual player in Michael Jordan. In 1971, John Wooden had a great individual player in Bill Walton. Coach Jackson and Coach Wooden both were able to succeed because Jordan and Walton excelled not only as individual players but also as team players.
 
Phil Jackson wrote in his book Eleven Rings: "Rather than squeeze everybody into preordained roles, my goal has always been to foster an environment where the players can grow as individuals and express themselves creatively within a team structure."
 
As a leader, you must have excellent talent to be successful. Coach Wooden and Coach Jackson had excellent talent. They also had the ability to get that talent to work together without totally suppressing the individual abilities of the players. They got the individuals to play to their strengths and be considerate of their teammates.
 
A great parent does not suppress the different personalities and talents of their children. They do get the children to behave as a part of a family.