Let the Bees Come: the Real Vs the Fake

Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained. Lao Tzu

King Solomon was not just very powerful, but wise. There is a very nice fable that shows how the world is constantly sending us message to discover more about ourselves, the environment and what is true and fake. The story is called The King and The Bees

One day King Solomon was sitting on his throne.  Suddenly the door was thrown open and the Queen of Sheba came in. "O King," she said, "in my own country, far, far away, I have heard much about your power and glory, but much more about your wisdom. Men have told me that there is no riddle so cunning that you cannot solve it. Is this true?"

"It is as you say, O Queen," answered Solomon.

"Well, I have here a puzzle which I think will test your wisdom. Shall I show it to you?"

"Most certainly, O Queen."

Then she held up in each hand a beautiful wreath of flowers. The wreaths were so nearly alike that none of those who were with the king could point out any difference.

"One of these wreaths," said the queen, "is made of flowers plucked from your garden. The other is made of artificial flowers, shaped and colored by a skillful artist. Now, tell me, O King, which is the true, and which is the false?"

The king, for once, was puzzled. He stroked his chin. He looked at the wreaths from every side. He frowned. He bit his lips.

"Which is the true?" the queen again asked.

The king moved uneasily on his golden throne. Then the king remembered something. He remembered that close by his window there was a climbing vine filled with beautiful sweet flowers. He remembered that he had seen many bees flying among these flowers and gathering honey from them.

So he said, "Open the window!"

It was opened. The queen was standing quite near to it with the two wreaths still in her hands. All eyes were turned to see why the king had said, "Open the window."

The next moment two bees flew eagerly in. Then came another and another. All flew to the flowers in the queen's right hand. Not one of the bees so much as looked at those in her left hand.

"O Queen of Sheba, the bees have given you my answer," then said Solomon.

And the queen said, "You are wise, King Solomon. You gather knowledge from the little things which common men pass by unnoticed."

In your Leadership role, how do you distinguish what is fake from what is real? How do you promote a culture in which people who fail, acknowledge and take advantage of it without faking it?

Recently there was an article post in The New York Times about how some man were faking 80 hours work week, when they were really working no more than 50. Why were they faking the hours? Is it because their jobs, organizations and the “system” promote faking more than being honest and true, and real?

What is going on in your organization that is promoting the “fake” and not the “real”? What can you do to turn things around and create an environment of trust and honesty in which people are not afraid to be who they really are?

About the Author: Enrique Rubio is an HR Professional at the Inter-American Development Bank. He is an Electronic Engineer and a Fulbright scholar with an Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University. Enrique researches and writes about leadership and HR and seeks to explore the overlaps of productivity and leadership in the business and non-profit world. Enrique is also a competitive ultrarunner.

Twitter: @erubio_p

Read more:

The Self-Deprecating Inner Voice and the Triumph of Success

Productive Leaders can See the Invisible

Hitman Wanter. Mission: To Kill the Work Schedules

Learn, Grow, Change, Repeat

5 Effective Strategies to Manage Conflict Productively

Are you and your organization in Constant Learning and Change (Part I)?

What makes a genius a genius? (Constant Learning and Change (Part II))?

Are you Purposefully Supporting and Challenging your Team?

The most compelling challenge of our times

Breaking Frontiers: how far can we go to achieve our purpose?

Mozart and Leadership: 4 Timeless Lessons

A High Performing Organization and The Productive Leadership Trinity

Are you really focused on the Productive? Here's how to be sure

Solitude: The Most Underestimated Self-Development Necessity