Do You Have The Red Shoes? A Dorothy Perspective On Leadership Confidence

Article by Cheryl Lentz, Ph.D.

Do you know where you’re going? Do you know how to get there? Take a trip with me down the yellow brick road for the answers to these questions. Leadership is about leading yourself, first and foremost. You have to know where you want to go...to ensure you arrive. Grab your basket and your dog named Toto, and join me on a journey to see the Wizard as we go in search of leadership lessons from Dorothy and her friends.

As a college professor of 20+ years, I teach leadership and find that leadership lessons from these childhood classics resonate with my students in ways that a textbook simply can’t. This timeless story is a metaphor for leadership, beginning with a tornado that turns Dorothy’s world upside down on a journey inward to find the path home to self.

Dorothy always knew her mission—she was going home. She told everyone she met. She knew that the man to see was the Wizard of Oz. She enlisted the help of many along the way to reach her goal.

Commitment, Conviction, Counsel

She was steadfast, committed, with strong conviction. No challenge was too great to stand in her way. In the face of the fearsome Wicked Witch, she held her ground. She had strength of purpose and personal resolve. She was clear; some might even say stubborn. Dorothy was going to find that Wizard. Period. Just watch her. Even in her most challenging moments in the forest, she always knew she would find her way.

With every step along the yellow brick road, she sought counsel to move her closer to her goal. One step at a time, each unique visitor served up a teachable moment. What she discovered was her inner strength, and it grew stronger with each step forward. She always had the ability. She always held the key to unlock the door—those ruby slippers that she guarded with her life. What she lacked was belief in herself—confidence—that she and she alone already had the answer.

Leadership wisdom from a childhood classic is timeless. Many of us struggle in finding solutions to life’s many problems. The metaphor is that we look externally for the answers. We often ask others the questions we should be asking ourselves.

The universe often sends messages and messengers along your journey, yet you cannot hear or see them, or ignore them. Why? The answer to this question is fascinating, particularly when you invite Dorothy to your own journey.

The answers you pursue come from The Dorothy Perspective.

The path to what you seek lies within you. To move forward, you must move inward—a journey of personal reflection that few have the courage of the Lion to pursue.

Everyone seeks the peace of knowing. We seek peace knowing that in asking the right questions, the right answers will come. What surprises us is that often the answers to life’s questions regarding purpose, peace, harmony, and happiness lie within. You already possess the ruby slippers. What you lack is the understanding of how to use them.

The Dorothy Perspective is that you have always had the answer(s) within you. To predict your future, you need to write your own ending. To write your ending, remain confident that you already have, and trust, your answers.

Leading the Way Home

Perhaps one day everyone will realize they too have the ruby slippers. I keep a pair on my desk to remind me that I’ve always known the answers. I just had to ask myself the right questions I had to listen to my heart and be quiet to hear them.

To go forward, go inward. Trust yourselves. Know that all of you know what you’ve always known: What you seek is seeking you. Courage is about taking the first step. Courage is knowing the truth about finding your “home.”

Dr. Cheryl, The Academic Entrepreneur, is known globally for her writings on leadership and failure, as well as on critical and refractive thinking. She has been published more than 44 times with 25 writing awards. As an accomplished university professor, speaker, and consultant, she is an international best-selling author, and a top-quoted publishing professional on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. She looks forward to her TEDx Talk, Farndale2020, October 10, 2020. www.DrCherylLentz.com