The power of cricket

Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam… Sri Lanka has many religions but one “religion” unifies everyone: cricket. However, this posting has nothing to do with it. It’s about crickets, insects related to – and often confused with - grasshoppers.

Have you ever seen a cricket? Maybe you have. Do you think a cricket can have any impact in this world, other than being bird food? It’s such a minute thing. How could it possible be important?

Well, have you heard a cricket? Most likely you have. Though you sometimes might ignore a cricket when you see one, you can’t ignore it when you hear one, because it ain’t alone. Especially in warm countries like Sri Lanka the cricket chirping can be so loud that it covers all the other sounds behind it. Imagine, chirping started by one one small insect and joined by thousands of others can defeat the sound of man-made machines that swoosh by one the road.

And what does this have to do with leadership?

True change leaders who can have an impact on themselves, their relationship, their family, their colleagues, teams, organizations, countries and the whole world understand the power of one and are able to connect others in the same mission. Their impact becomes as powerful as the herd of crickets.

But the difference between a cricket and a leader is that whereas for the former it all comes naturally for the latter the impact comes as a result of hard and smart work, practice and deep self-reflection.