Head on a Stake Leadership

This is a post I pulled from my old blog... I plan to seed in some of my favorites from the past here on the new blog... Hope you enjoy this one.

King Kamehameha was the first to unite the islands of Hawai'i under one rule. The name Kamehameha (pronounced kuh-may-ha-may-ha) means "the one set apart." A great ruler, he also was not the heir to the throne on his own island, but through training and leadership, he ultimately lived as the greatest ruler of the Hawaii. If you study his legacy, there are several lessons that Business leaders can apply to today's world. Here is one of my favorites:

Forgive your Enemies. Culturally, in Hawai'i, rulers were known to destroy other leaders when the battles were over. It was often done in a very public way and with much ceremony... Head on a stake sort of way. But King Kamehameha was different from previous rulers . When he won a battle over a competing king, he would never rub salt in the wound. In some cases, he would actually give the opponent safe passage away, so that they could live another day. In turn, he was owed a debt that in many cases became a key factor in his ability to win future battles. What is the message for business today: Today's enemy might be tomorrow's partner. This works both internally and externally. Companies who compete today may through integration and mergers end up needing each other in 2-3 years. Likewise, the guy or gal across the way who is competing with your for that promotion, might make or break your career in three years.

There are other lessons to be learned from King Kamehameha... more another day..