The Planting of a Seed

We had the privilege of seeing David Helfgott in concert at the University of South Africa last night. He was amazing! He is certainly not the typical concert pianist, talking to himself and making noises the whole time he's playing. When he finishes a song he runs off stage and then runs back on again. People put up with his eccentricities because he's such a fabulous musician. Which got me thinking...

Everyone is great at something, right? So what's the difference between a David Helfgott and everyone else? Is it that he was able to "specialise" in his strength instead of having to be "average" at everything? Maybe someone noticed his strength in music and said, "Let's focus on this and help you reach your potential."

So many of us focus on being well-rounded adults, having a good general knowledge base, but I wonder if sometimes that leads to mediocrity? What if we're all the equivalent of a buffet restaurant - a place where you can eat anything you want but nothing is particularly brilliant - when we were meant to be specialised, five-star restaurants instead?

I just finished reading a book called The African Way, by Mike Boon, about the power of interactive leadership. He ended the book by saying this: "My belief is that every person is capable of unbelievable achievements, and that the underdevelopment of individuals - of human resources - is a direct reflection of inadequate leadership."

Food for thought, isn't it? I never wanted to be a leader until I read that.