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Time passed, and one day when Lionel was almost full-grown his father called him into the den for a
talk.
“Son,” said Lionel’s father, “the time has come for us to discuss your future. Your mother and I are
very proud of you, but now we should give serious consideration to your higher education and career.”
Lionel listened politely to his father, but felt a small twinge of sadness, for he knew he would miss
being a cub. “Your mother and I,” continued his father “feel that, with your potential, you should attend
Animal University and perhaps major in leadership. How would you like to do that son?”
“It sounds okay, I guess,” replied Lionel, with a shuffle of his rear paws and a quick glance outdoors
where Charlie Bear and Ronald Zebra were chasing each other in a rousing game of tag. Lionel’s father
cleared his throat to reclaim his son’s attention. “Attending Animal University and preparing yourself
for leadership is an honor, Son, and it is also a heavy responsibility.” Lionel’s father stroked his
whiskers slowly and looked very serious. “One day, you will probably be responsible for leading many
of your fellow animals in important activities. Animals like Charlie Bear and Ronald Zebra will turn to
you for direction and advice. So it is important that you study hard and listen carefully to your
professors. They will help you to prepare yourself to do the fine job of leadership that your mother and
I are sure you are capable of.”
“Yes, sir,” said Lionel quietly, and being a well-brought-up young lion, he heeded his father’s
advice. Soon Lionel did indeed pack his suitcase and head for Animal U.
Animal U. was an interesting place, and by and large, Lionel enjoyed his time there. He studied
hard, met some pretty girl animals, learned to drink beer, sang songs with words he wouldn’t have
mentioned around his parents, and even tried out for the Animal U. football team. In this endeavor,
Lionel quickly discovered, somewhat to his surprise, that when he held back his strength in making a
block, many other animals ran right over him. Some ran over him even when he didn’t hold back.
As the years went by, Lionel made good progress in his studies. He learned many useful things
about leadership, such as how to think about what needs to be done in the future, how to arrange where
other animals should stand and how they should move in order to be most efficient, how to get someone
else to do something that you want to get done but haven’t time to do yourself, how to keep track of
what has been done and subtract it from what was supposed to be done, and finally, how to write
reports about all of these things.
When Lionel was a senior, he signed up for a special course called “Animal Relations in Leadership”
that was taught by a very famous professor, Dr. Sherwood Giraffe. In Dr. Giraffe’s class, Lionel heard
again what he heard from this father—that leadership was a very important responsibility.
He learned too about Animal Psychology and how other animals’ feelings could be hurt if the leader
was harsh with them.
He learned that it was good for a leader to suggest and even persuade, but not good for a leader to
order or demand.
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He learned that a leader ought to ask other animals for their opinions before giving his own, because
other animals were likely to be overly influenced by what the leader said.
He learned that while animals respected and admired their leaders, they also feared them because
they tended to think about leaders as they had their fathers when they were cubs. So a leader has to be
careful not to use authority in a way that would injure, frighten, or upset followers.
He learned that a leader ought to always appear confident and not reveal to others any doubt,
confusion, or uncertainty, because they might lose confidence in the leader and begin to feel these
unhappy feelings too.
He learned that a leader needed to think cautiously before speaking or acting, because a leader’s
words and deeds carry so much weight.
And he learned, too, that being a leader is supposed to be a lonely job.
These were serious lessons indeed, Lionel thought, but heeding his father’s advice, he learned them
well.
When spring came, Lionel graduated from Animal University and returned again to the forest about
a mile or so from Organizationville to find a place where he might put to use the valuable training he
had received. As times were good (the animal recession having ended the year before after a change
from Winthrop Bear to Everett Bull), he had little difficulty in finding employment. In fact, Lionel’s
first job was in a medium-sized meadow as a junior leadership trainee and first-line supervisor over his
three old chums, Willie Lion, Charlie Bear, and Ronald Zebra, (none of whom had been away to
Animal U., though Ronald Zebra had taken two years of technical training in stripe painting touch-up
work at a local trade school).
The reunion of Lionel and his friends was a happy one, and their work together in the meadow as
leader and followers was happy and satisfying to them all; though if the truth were to be told, Willie,
Charlie, and Ronald knew far more about what had to done and how to do it than Lionel did. But they
were loving and patient with him, and as time went by, Lionel learned quickly and did quite well as a
junior leadership trainee.
One day, however, at lunchtime, the four friends were reviewing their cubdom and decided to
reenact Lionel’s spectacular block in their most remembered touch-football game. Just at that instant,
Herbert Hedgehog, Lionel’s own leader and an important officer in the Meadow Enterprise, happened
by. Mr. Hedgehog said nothing at the moment, but later that day he called Lionel aside.
“Lionel,” said Mr. Hedgehog, “I should like to discuss a matter with you for a moment.” Mr.
Hedgehog smiled not unkindly. “I could not help but notice earlier this afternoon your behavior with
your subordinates, Lion, Bear, and Zebra.”
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“Yes, sir?” asked Lionel, who was puzzled.
“Well,” said Mr. Hedgehog, as he smiled again, even more kindly, “it’s not that you, as a junior
leadership trainee, are actually any better than the other animals in the meadow, Lionel. Rather, let us
say that your heavier responsibilities place special obligations on you.”
“Obligations?” asked Lionel, even more puzzled.
“Yes, Lionel, obligations that may be hampered by too close and too familiar association with those
at lower echelons in the organization.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said Lionel, “but I don’t understand.”
“No,” said Mr. Hedgehog, “I can see that you don’t. Perhaps I can explain. We who are in
leadership hold very powerful positions. Leadership has a heavy responsibility. The others look to us
when they are unsure, so we must always act sure or they will worry and be anxious. They admire and
respect us, but they also fear us, so we must be careful and considerate of them and try not to use our
superior position and authority in ways that would injure them. A leader, in all respects, Lionel, must
speak and act more cautiously than other animals, and,” Mr. Hedgehog’s face grew very serious, “too
close and familiar association with those at lower echelons may distract us from our responsibility to
them. Leadership,” Mr. Hedgehog sighed, “is a lonely job. Do you understand that, Lionel?”
“Yes, sir,” said Lionel, and he remembered Dr. Sherwood Giraffe’s lecture.
“My suggestion is that you find a way to separate yourself a bit further from those in lower echelons.
I say this for your own good, Lionel,” and Mr. Hedgehog smiled his most kindly smile of all. “For if
you do what is required of you and meet your leadership responsibilities and obligations, I think you
have a promising future.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Lionel. That evening he stayed awake late pondering on a way to separate
himself a bit further from Willie Lion, Charlie Bear, and Ronald Zebra.
Finally, in the early morning hours, it came to him. Lionel decided to buy a cloak. And so he did.
It was a light-weight cloak of light blue cotton that could be swung to and fro easily, so whenever
Lionel felt himself getting too close to Willie, Charlie, or Ronald, or them getting too close to him, he
could easily swish it over and hide a bit of himself from them. The cloak worked quite well and Mr.
Hedgehog was especially pleased. In fact, he put in a word for Lionel with one of the top leaders of the
meadow. Lionel’s performance had already been noted by the higher echelon and so, in a short while,
Lionel was promoted. To take his place, Lionel recommended Charlie Bear, and while there were some
in the animal recruiting department who suggested a candidate be found from outside the meadow,
Lionel’s recommendation was finally accepted.
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In his new position, Lionel’s leadership responsibilities not only included Charlie Bear but four other
first-line animal supervisors as well. Lionel realized he was now middle-leadership. One of the first
things he did on assuming his new position was to buy a new cloak. It was of medium weight and
medium blue and considerably more substantial than his first one. In dealing with his new and heavier
responsibilities, Lionel used his heavier cape more frequently too.
He would use it when he wanted things changed, but was unwilling to express his dissatisfaction
with the way they were presently being done. For instance, if one of his first-line supervisors made a
proposal to him, Lionel might say, “Very nice, very nice,” then swish would go the cloak and Lionel
would continue, “but don’t you think we might possibly want to do that just a bit differently? Not that
there’s anything wrong with your idea, of course.”
He would use it when he was disappointed, or impatient, or irritated with the way another animal
was doing his job. “Mmmm,” Lionel would mutter under his breath, but realizing that in his terribly
powerful position his criticism might hurt the lower-echelon animal, he would say no more. Instead,
swish would go his cloak, and later he might mention his displeasure to the other animal’s supervisor.
He would use it, too, when he was worried or uncertain, but did not want to reveal his feelings to
others.
Or when he feared he had made a mistake.
Or when he was unsure of his point of view. In each case, swish would go Lionel’s cloak.
And so the days in the meadow went by, and as Lionel was a strong, intelligent, and competent lion,
he was more and more frequently noticed not only by the animal leaders above him but by others as
well. And soon many spoke of Lionel as an up-and-coming animal with obvious high-echelon
leadership potential. Not only did they speak of him that way, but a few could be seen emulating
Lionel’s style. They would talk as he did or stand as he did. And then, most strikingly of all, some
would appear in the meadow wearing brand-new blue cloaks.
At first there were only a few, but gradually more and more blue-cloaked animals were to be seen,
standing or pacing to and fro in the grass. In the practice of swishing their new cloaks, some were
awkward at first and got themselves only partially covered, or perhaps forgot to swish at all, but others,
Mr. Hedgehog especially, swished as well as Lionel or maybe even better.
As the cloaks increased in number, other thing began to change in the meadow. It was quieter and
fewer animals smiled—and even fewer laughed out loud. More reports were written than ever before
and memos, too. As the higher-echelon meadow leaders became more cautious for the sake of the
lower-echelon animals, so did the lower-echelon animals become more cautious for their own sake.
Animals whispered a good deal more than they had.
Still, work at the meadow went well enough (though there seemed to be fewer new ideas than
before), and Lionel continued to rise in the ranks of the meadow organization until he did, indeed,
become one of the high-echelon leaders.
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When Lionel’s old friends, Willie Lion, Charlie Bear, and Ronald Zebra heard of Lionel’s high
promotion, they were all very pleased and decided to have a party for him. They asked Lionel who he
would like them to invite, but Lionel could only think of Herbert Hedgehog and a few others.
“Leadership,” Lionel sighed, “is a lonely job.”
Nevertheless, plans for Lionel’s party proceeded and Mr. Hedgehog, since he was closest to Lionel’s
echelon, was given responsibility for buying a suitable gift.
On the evening of the party, the animals met at a local watering hole and when Lionel appeared, his
old friends were pleased to see that he was not wearing his cloak. And so the festivities proceeded in a
boisterous and happy way reminiscent of their early cub days. In fact, at one point during the party,
after much coaxing, Lionel was persuaded to demonstrate again his famous three-man block; and while
it did not work as well as it originally had (Lionel had put on some weight since then and his tail was
not quite as quick as it once was), it didn’t turn out too badly either. All in all, there was a good deal of
laughing and carousing until the moment came for the high point of the evening, the presentation of
Lionel’s gift.
Herbert Hedgehog rose and cleared his throat. “Ahem,” he began, “My dear colleagues and
associates, we gather here today to honor our illustrious colleague, Lionel Lion. All of us here know
Lionel, and I am certain that our chests swell with pride when we recall his rapid and well-deserved rise
in our organization. However noteworthy as that may be, I am certain that we are even more proud of
the manner in which Lionel has met the heavy challenges and responsibilities of his leadership
position.” Mr. Hedgehog paused and waited for applause and the other animals tapped their paws.
Then Mr. Hedgehog continued, “Yes, as those of you who have enjoyed his leadership can well
attest, Lionel has been an inspiration in meeting the obligations of a true leader. His extreme patience
and forbearance are renowned. Never since we have we known him have we heard Lionel’s voice roar
in anger at a subordinate animal. Always has he been a considerate and thoughtful leader. Always, too,
has he been a steadfast and certain beacon guiding others through both smooth and rocky waters. Calm,
detached, and confident, he has not faltered in difficult moments when lesser animals might have given
way to anxiety or passion.” Mr. Hedgehog glanced around and noticed that others seemed to be getting
a bit restless. Willie Lion was rubbing the back of his paw against his whiskers, and Ronald Zebra
shuffled his front hooves a bit. Only Lionel himself seemed to be paying attention, with a very serious
expression on his face.
“In conclusion, dear colleagues.” Hedgehog continued, “on behalf of us all, I should like to present
this small token of our high esteem to a most respected leader, Lionel Lion.”
Mr. Hedgehog passed a large white box tied neatly with a narrow ribbon to Lionel, who slowly
opened it. Inside was a new cloak—but a cloak such as none there had ever seen before. It was of the
darkest blue imaginable, and of the thickest and heaviest wool. And unlike any other cloak Lionel had
ever worn, it had a large dark-lined hood.
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“Try it on, Lionel,” Mr. Hedgehog urged.
Lionel swung the cloak over his back and flanks and began to pace slowly back and forth. It was a
very large cloak and almost completely covered him.
“Gosh,” said Ronald Zebra, “I can hardly see you at all, Lionel.”
“Maybe you ought to get a smaller size, Lionel,” laughed Willie Lion, “if you tried to throw a block
in that, it would probably get tangled in your paws, and you know you’re not as well balanced as you
were when you were a cub.”
Most of the other animals at the party laughed at Willie Lion’s remark, but not Mr. Hedgehog, and
when Lionel noticed Mr. Hedgehog wasn’t laughing, he didn’t laugh either. Instead, he tossed his
shoulders and the heavy hood fell in place over his head and face. Lionel said something then, but his
voice was muffled by the hood, so none of the other animals heard what it was. With his hood and
cloak covering him Lionel was practically invisible, and no one ventured to ask him to repeat his words.
There was not very much laughter or fun afterward either, so the party soon came to an end, with all the
animals going their separate ways.
Lionel wore his new cloak almost every day in the meadow, and he often wore the hood as well.
The other animals remarked to each other how impressive it was and noted, too, how difficult it was to
see Lionel anymore. Cloaks, and even cloaks with hoods, became more and more fashionable among
the leadership animals in the meadow, until just about all wore them. All, that is, except Charlie Bear,
who continued to prance around the meadow, usually quite cheerfully, without covering himself at all.
It was this fact that caused Lionel one late afternoon to call Charlie aside for a talk.
“Charlie,” said Lionel, whose hood now lay back against his large shoulders, “you and I have known
each other for a long time.”
“We sure have,” smiled Charlie Bear.
“Yes,” said Lionel, tugging a wrinkle from his cloak. “Well, there is something I have been meaning
to have a word with you about.”
“Yes, Lionel.”
“Well, Charlie, as you may know, I recommended you to be my replacement when you first became
a supervisor.” Lionel padded a few paces to his left, and then to his right, then to his left again. “I
thought that you had a promising future before you. Although you had not attended Animal University,
my belief was that you were not just a run-of-the-mill animal, but a bear with potential.” Lionel
hunched his cloak up just the slightest bit around his shoulders. “I still believe that to be the case,
Charles (it was the first time Charlie Bear could remember that Lionel had ever called him Charles), but
I must admit I am somewhat disappointed in your progress.”
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“I’m sorry you’re not happy, Lionel,” said Charlie.
“Happiness is not the point,” said Lionel. “Leadership is a heavy responsibility and happiness is a
luxury few of us leaders can afford. We do, after all, have our first obligation to those who look up to
us for guidance and direction. And that obligation may be hampered if our relations with our
subordinates are too friendly and familiar.”
“Do you mean Willie Lion and Ronald Zebra?” asked Charlie Bear.
“Charles, as you well know, I have only the highest regard for Lion and Zebra. However, for their
sakes as well as your own, it would be better if you could maintain a somewhat greater distance
between yourself and them, as is more appropriate for those at different echelons in the meadow
organization.” Lionel did some more pacing, then stopped before Charlie Bear. “I would like to ask
you something Charlie.”
“Okay,” said Charlie Bear, who noticed Lionel was calling him Charlie again and felt a little, though
not much, better.
“Why don’t you wear a cloak? Almost all of the leadership animals do, you know.” Lionel
smoothed down the heavy cloth of his own cloak.
“Well,” said Charlie, “mostly because I’m not cold, and besides I think a cloak would get in my
way.”
Lionel sighed heavily, “I’m afraid you don’t understand, Charlie. This cloak I wear is not for
comfort. In fact, there are many, many times when it is heavy and uncomfortable, times when I wish I
could take it off entirely.” Lionel seemed suddenly very weary and weighed down beneath his dark
blue cloak.
“Then why do you wear it?” asked Charlie.
“I wear it,” Lionel replied, “for the sake of the other animals, to protect them from my power—the
power of my position as their leader. That is my obligation. Now do you understand, Charlie?”
“No,” said Charlie Bear, “I don’t.”
Lionel frowned. “Don’t you realize how frightened the other animals would be if I got angry and I
didn’t cover it with my cloak?”
“Well,” said Charlie, “some might be, but others wouldn‘t. Actually, I think I get more frightened, or
at least nervous, when you cover yourself up.”
“You still don’t understand,” said Lionel who was beginning to feel annoyed. “Can’t you imagine
how upset and worried the others would be if they were to see that I was upset and worried sometimes,
if I didn’t hide my feelings beneath my cloak?”
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“Well, maybe they would be,” said Charlie Bear, “but that doesn’t seem so bad to me. There are a lot
of other worries they have to deal with when they are away from the meadow, you know. Any animal
with a mate and cubs knows plenty about upsets and worries, I’ll tell you.” Charlie Bear chuckled.
“I can see,” said Lionel, “that I’m not getting through to you, Charles.” He hunched his muscles and
the hood of his dark cloak began to rise above his shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Lionel,” said Charlie, “but I just don’t agree with you about this cloak business. In fact, if
it’s not comfortable for you, I can’t see why you don’t just take it off.”
With one quick, sharp motion, Lionel turned away and flipped his hood into place. It completely
covered his head and face. Not even a whisker showed. Charlie heard his voice, but it was too muffled
by the hood for Charlie to make out any words. But Charlie Bear did not go away.
Instead he said, “Lionel, I can’t make out what you mean. Your hood is in the way.”
Lionel Lion was furious. With an even quicker and sharper motion than he had made to flip his
hood down, he jerked it back up. “I said,” he roared, “that I am very upset by your lack of
understanding of basic leadership principles.”
“Well,” growled Charlie Bear, as he reared up on his hind legs to his full awesome heights, “I am
upset too. And I don’t believe in your basic leadership principles at all. You are a strong animal,
Lionel, but mostly I remember that from the days we played touch-football together. Since you took to
wearing cloaks, I haven’t seen much of your strength. I think you’re a smart lion, but you hide that, too.
You’re an animal like the rest of us, and you can make mistakes. And when you do, that doesn’t make
me think the meadow is going to turn brown and die all of a sudden.”
“But, you don’t understand the responsibilities of a leader…” Lionel hesitated, trying to find words.
His cloak had slipped badly during Charlie’s surprising speech, and now it only barely covered his
rump.
“I wish,” growled Charlie, but with a bit less anger, “that you would stop telling me that I don’t
understand. And I also wish you would stop protecting me from yourself, because I can protect myself
if I need to. I’m not as helpless as you think I am. And when you hide under that big blue cloak of
yours, I can’t see who you are, and I can’t tell how you feel or what you want.” Charlie Bear’s voice
grew softer and gentler. “What’s worse is that when you’re under that cloak, I can’t be your friend.”
“But Herbert Hedgehog taught me those leadership principles, Charlie,” said Lionel, who was
considerably less sure of the principles himself now.
“Well,” said Charlie Bear, “I think they are hogwash.”
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“Maybe they are,” said Lionel, “maybe they’re Hedgehogwash, in fact.” And he laughed, and
Charlie Bear laughed, and in a moment the two old friends reached out and clasped each other’s paws
warmly.
In the days that followed in the meadow, Charlie Bear did not begin to wear a cloak. Nor did Lionel
immediately discard his. Rather, he began to experiment a bit in wearing it somewhat less often. For
example, when he was not satisfied with the way an animal was doing his job, sometimes Lionel would
tell him so. The other animal might be surprised and a little upset at first, but if he and Lionel kept
talking they could usually work it out. A few times, the other animals even thanked Lionel for his
advice.
And sometimes, especially with the leadership animals Lionel most often worked with, he would not
cover over disappointment or impatience or irritation when he felt them. Lionel discovered to his
surprise that few of them were seriously hurt, and some even argued back, as Charlie Bear had done
when they thought they were right. And Lionel, as well as others, often found their arguments
stimulating, and exciting, and sometimes even funny.
After a time, Lionel wore his cloak far less, too, when he was worried or unsure of himself, or even
when he feared he had made a mistake. But he discovered that the other animals did not crumble, nor
did they even seem terribly shocked when he was confused or uncertain. Instead, some make
suggestions that sometimes helped, and others just worried along with him.
Finally, there came a time when Lionel hardly ever wore his cloak, although he kept it nearby in
case of emergency—but then he knew he was using it for his own sake, not to protect others from him.
And in time, Lionel found that others gradually began to give up wearing their cloaks, too, though they
did so considerably more slowly than they had taken on the habit of wearing cloaks. And some—in
fact, Mr. Hedgehog—never did give up their cloaks at all.
Even so, anyone passing the meadow on an afternoon would probably have noticed that there were
more smiles among the animals, and louder talking, and a good deal more laughing; and all that seemed
very good.
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Lionel’s Lessons
Lionel was a good leader. He wanted to do the right thing if he could just discover it. His dilemma was
how to have good relations with his followers while meeting the responsibilities of leadership. He
discovered the answer was to have open, honest communication with the other animals.
Lionel learned that, along with approval, a leader should express disapproval; otherwise,
subordinates may not know when they are doing something wrong. In the long run, a worker is more
distressed not knowing if his performance is meeting expectations than being corrected once in a while.
Lionel also learned that although a leader does have final responsibility and may have to make
unpopular decisions, he does not have to end friendships with subordinates in order to be effective. To
the contrary, knowing that the leader is interested and cares about their welfare results in a relaxed,
supportive atmosphere, and this increases the morale and productivity of most employees.
The best advice for leaders who want to avoid the “Cloak of Omnipotence” and want to use the
power of position effectively is presented in the following poem:
Power-In
Power may be felt as power-over,
And if so it will be oppressive,
Oppressive to its victim-prisoner,
and
Oppressive to its wielder-jailer;
For the jailer is not much less
The prisoner than the prisoner.
Power-over must be held tightly
and
Carefully with tense alert.
It must be handled, manipulated
outside the self, now constricted,
now relaxed a little.
Power-over therefore is not strength,
but a binding.
Power-over may be clutched desperately
or greedily;
But it is not loved even by its holder.
Power-in is strength and a free heart and
great joy.
It is easy amusement and readily available
love.
Power-in is potency.
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And if I have it,
even in great quantities,
That does not preclude your having it too.
Rather,
If I am easy with my power, that may
help you to be more easy with yours;
And what two of us together can do
with easy power is beyond reckoning.
We could free the world.
Tyrannical power, or power-over, causes resentment and low morale. Power-in, on the other hand, is a
relaxed and open approach to authority that results in good human relations and optimum performance.
Discussion Questions
Discuss the Cloak of Omnipotence in the context of leadership, psychological size, and two-way
communication.
Discuss the concept of power-in versus power-over as you have witnessed or experienced these in an
organizational setting.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
To personalize the subject of the empowerment of people, ask your students to consider questions such
as these:
1. Describe a servant leader you have known.
2. Discuss the concept of participative leadership as it relates to employee morale and work
performance.
3. Discuss psychological size and leadership effectiveness based on true-life cases.
4. Discuss the concept of quality as it is used in your work environment.
5. Discuss the ways in which Deming’s four points can create a better work environment.
6. What is your approach to leadership? Do you view leadership as a calling to serve?
7. What practical steps can a leader take to empower others and envelop a high performance
workplace?
8. What are your beliefs and practices regarding quality in the workplace?
9. Discuss quality in your workplace. What are leaders doing to maintain quality? What are members
doing? What do you recommend?
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10. Discuss the pros and cons of total quality management and other empowerment initiatives. If you
were a company president, what would you do to ensure quality of products and services?
11. Conduct a quality improvement project: Assemble a group; use brainstorming to select a problem
facing the group; use the fish bone approach to analyze the problem; decide on a solution; prepare and
present recommendations; implement the solution; and follow up on results. Did actions taken improve
the quality of work or the quality of work life? Note that quality improvement efforts can be used in
any group or organizational setting.