A few days later, she took her position on the eggs ready for incubation. Not once did I see her get up from that place while the incubation period lasted. After several days, we heard the chirps of newly-hatched chicks. Shortly thereafter, the hen stepped out with her new babies. It looked like celebration time. Of course, a few eggs had not been successfully hatched. But that did not diminish what seemed to be the joy of the moment.
While it lasted, the period was a learning session for me. I learnt a few lessons from the mother hen that I would like to share with every leader.
The location used by the hen was not a cage in its owner’s house. It was in the middle of debris piled in front of another person’s house. This underscores the fact that if you have to birth a vision and you don’t have what you need, use what you have. Many projects suffer attrition because the proponents are constantly seeking the right place. While I agree that very often, location makes the difference in the realization of a vision, we may not always have the privilege of the best of locations. In such instance, we must learn to make use of the place available. When Jesus was to be born, there was no vacant room in any inn or local clinic. Mary gave birth to the baby in a manger. Joseph and Mary never complained about the absence of an inn. They resorted to the manger that was available. But although the baby was born there, He did not grow up there. As soon as her eggs were hatched, the hen led her chicks out of the “hatchery”.
Just like the eggs, every seed or dream has an incubation period. Overnight successes can lead to overnight disasters. There is a specified number of days the hen must brood on the eggs. It must not be one day less and definitely not one day more. From the wisdom of the Creator in scriptures, we learn that every vision is slated for delivery at an appointed time. Showcase it before the time and it may not be well received. If you try to make it fly after the appointed time, the circumstances may no longer be favorable for its delivery.
Without incubation, no egg can be hatched. In addition to that, incubation only happens in dark, warm places. Every vision requires an enabling environment. By that, I do not just mean a geographical location but various conditions that would make the seed germinate. Plants need moisture, sunlight, water and a good soil. Not only that, every seed has its own gestation period. In that period, nobody sees what is going on with the seed. But growth is taking place. This is why the hen stays on the eggs throughout the period of incubation. It has no contact with the rest of the world. It dies to the world and the world to it. At that point, nothing else matters. Several times I went to the place where the hen laid on her eggs. As far as she was concerned, I might never have existed. She did not move even as she kept all the eggs under her wings.
Like the hen’s eggs, visions are the potentials that encapsulate the future. They simply represent future possibilities. But to give features to that future, process is important. It may be tough and may require a period of isolation. There would be periods when it would appear that nothing is happening. The key virtue required at this point is patience. Impatience has destroyed many dreams. Sometimes, the process is truncated because the carriers of the vision were unwilling to follow through with the process especially when it seemed that recognition or acceptance was not forthcoming. Indeed, patience and hard work are the only worthwhile shortcuts to the top!
Have you ever been hit with the avalanche of ideas? I once wrote about it on this page. It happens when several ideas come at you in torrents that seem to overwhelm you and leave you obviously confused by which to tackle first. More often than not, many of such ideas end up being buried in the labyrinths of our subconscious and may never see the light of day. However, to significantly succeed, we must recognize that just as the hen laid her eggs one egg at a time, the seed of greatness is sown one idea at a time.
How should a leader lay his own eggs? In writing. As the prophet Habakkuk counselled in the Bible, write down the vision in such plain language that anyone reading it can clearly see its possibilities. You can only incubate a dream that is well defined and tangible. You cannot find it if you have not first defined it. When you have written down a few, then take time apart to brood on them for incubation and eventual manifestation. Trying to sideline the process is akin to sabotaging destiny.
In the period of incubation, the hen had no outings and no social interactions. I am not sure that it went out to look for food. At least I never saw it leave the brooding position. The only shelter it had from the elements was a scrap of roofing sheet that could have been blown away by the wind. There was no protection from reptiles. The heat from the sun was sometimes unbearable. Rain fell. Winds blew. But it was unshaken. When it comes to the birthing of a leader’s vision, comfort and convenience are not the main issue. Desire and determination are. When these are put behind any vision, the leader becomes an unstoppable force. Inclement weather and a hostile environment are some of the realities of the process. But when your desire to succeed outstrips the capacity of adversity to stop you, you will definitely succeed…continued
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!
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