An ancient storyteller named Aesop told a fable about the north wind and the sun. It opens with a challenge about a traveler’s cloak. The north wind bets the sun that he can get that cloak off the traveler. The north wind begins to blow, but the harder he blows, the more tightly the traveler wraps his cloak around him. Then comes the sun’s turn. The day quickly warms, and the man on the road just as quickly removes his cloak.
This is Howard Butt Jr. of Laity Lodge with a fairly obvious moral about force versus persuasion—about cold strength versus personal warmth. Strength may win battles in the short term, but warmth can win minds in the high calling of our daily work.
