We have all heard the phrase “Rome wasn’t built-in a day”.  According to my good friend Wikipedia, this phrase is an English translation of a medieval French phrase, and was published by John Heywood in 1538 in A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of all the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue and then Queen Elizabeth referred to the idea in an address at Cambridge in 1563.  Who knew!?!?!?

To us it is used when reminding someone that a particular task or goal takes a long time to complete properly, and that great things take time and diligence to create.  Such as the Great Ancient City of Rome.

In it’s hay day, the 1st Century, Rome was something to behold.  The center of a great empire with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world’s population) and covering 2.5 million square miles. The remains of many structures still stand some 2000 years later, and today Rome is the 3rd most visited city in Europe, following London and Paris, with an avearge of 7-10 million tourist each year.

Now jump forward in time to 1871 and across the big pond to Chicago, IL.  Chicago was a bustling community of trade and commerce on the Great Lakes. Chicago was also the home of a new baseball team called the Chicago White Stocking, who would change their name three times before settling with the name Chicago Cubs.  The White Stocking won the League Championship that year, something the Cubs rarely do….but I digress.

Now the story is told that on Sunday October 8, 1871 a cow kicked over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary.  The fire began about 9:00 p.m. and by midnight it had jumped the river’s south branch, and by 1:30 a.m. the business district was in flames. Shortly thereafter the fire raced northward across the main river. With limited firefighting equipment, the city’s fire department was helpless as the flames jumped from building to building…

.                               …and Chicago burned overnight.

 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Chicago burned overnight.

Just think about that for a moment.  Everything that someone can build here on earth over a lifetime, be it physical structures, a career, a reputation, relationships, a family, wealth, belongings, anything, can all go up in smoke overnight. It just takes one bad or impaired decision, a lie, an indiscretion,  a distraction while driving, a stupid move, or just a stroke of bad luck.

There are some great examples in our life times of famous people whom all fell into this category.  Such as Bill Clinton’s Presidency, Howard Cosell’s broadcasting career, those who invested in Bernie Madoff’s company, Scott Peterson & OJ Simpson, Lance Armstrong & A-Rod, etc.  Our jails, news papers and tabloid magazines are full of people who let their Chicago burn down one night.

We all personally know someone who fits this bill.  And we are all guilty to this ourselves in various degrees.  I personally have not burned down whole villages, but there is more than one scorched building in my past, and a couple of big ones.  Knowing what caused the fire, being accountable and prepared to pay for the damages, and setting up systems never to repeat the situation, is how we move forward to rebuilding our Chicagos.  Today the city of Chicago is a world commerce center, and a great place to live and visit.

My advise to my kids, and to myself…don’t play with matches, you will eventually get burned.

So for the 14th year in a row, I am very fortunate to be sitting in Rick DuFour’s keynote at our PLC Institute in Lincolnshire.  I have heard Rick keynote many times and in many venues over our 16 year partnership of providing GREAT materials and institutes on Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  But I have to say, I love the keynote he is doing this year, LEADERS WANTED:  How Leaders at ALL Levels Can Support the PLC at Work Process.

Besides being a very good friend, Rick is a true professional when it comes to writing and presenting.  He reads and reads and reads, takes notes on others work, compiles his research and combines that with his own practical experience and knowledge and presents a compelling case, citing all of the content where appropriate.  His messages are captivating and spot-on for his audience.  Really one of the best presenters and teachers I have ever known.

One quote Rick referenced today was from John Gardner, former President of the Carnegie Foundation, Secretary of Health Education and Welfare under Lyndon Johnson, and founder of Common Cause

“Every great leader is teaching, and every great teacher is leading.”

John W. Gardner

Pretty simple, but think for  a moment of all the people you lead each and every day.  Children, friends, staff, peers, athletic teams, church groups, you name it, you are involved and connected to others. We are all involved in groups of people, or teams of people, and at some point we are leading them in a certain direction.  But do we realize we are teaching at the same time?  By leading we are teaching.

So now jump to the ladder half of this quote, where Mr. Gardner states that a leader is a teacher.  You may be teaching a skill like riding a bike, how to use an app on a smartphone, how to hit a serve on the tennis court, or you’re on a project team at work, a book study, a parent group, etc. etc. etc.  Be it small or large, fact or opinion, when you share you are teaching.

So what is the point?  Well one point is that when we teach, other learn, so we better know what we are teaching and the direction we are leading them.  But the second, and much more important point, is that our school teachers are leading a generation of students.  The people who will lead our world and teach the next generation.  A massively important and very, very hard job if done right.

If anyone is watching you, believing what you say, and following you, then you are leading.  Better make certain you know where you are taking someone.

And if you can…go thank a teacher today.  Creating future leaders is why they do it.