Nurture the Villagers- King Kamehameha

Nurture the Villagers Lesson - King Kamehameha

As I shared earlier, 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:

Nurture the Villagers. Culturally, in Hawai'i, rulers were known to have both warriors and villagers. Warriors were simliar to the roman army. They lived good lives, but were in a constant race to develop their fighting skills so as to help their King rule successful. While warriors fought, the majority of those under the rule of kings were villagers who farmed and helped the King sustain their rule. During battles, the villages were often the spoils and while some Kings would burn these villages and kill the villagers, King Kamehameha sought to reassure villagers. He was quite successful in getting them to accept his rule and quickly get back to their role of producing food for his warriors.

So, what's the leadership lesson. If you are in a merger or say you were recently promoted over a others you work with, this lesson should guide you. Seek to embrace the culture of the villagers. Seek to reassure them and encourage them to continue producing product just as though no change has occurred. This is the 2nd lesson of King Kamehameha.