Before he became the 34th President of the United States, General Dwight D. Eisenhower was one of the most successful commanders in history. There’s a story told that in order to explain and illustrate to his officers, the important leadership skill of motivating and not manipulating the troops, General Eisenhower would place a piece of string on the floor. He would then demonstrate that by going behind the string and pushing it, he got nowhere. The string just wanted to rebel and go its own way. On the other hand, when he took the lead and pulled the string it would then follow him obediently in whichever direction he chose to go. The lesson in leadership is clear: Leaders should pull, not push.

R. Ian Seymour

R. Ian Seymour, excerpt taken from Maximise Your Potential