What does a scarecrow, tin man and lion have to do with your rural community?

April 19th, 2010 by

I have to admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve watched the Wizard of Oz–a really long time.  But, when a board member mentioned the Wizard of Oz at our board meeting this month, it all came rushing back to me. 

The movie, as I’m sure you remember, involves a young girl named Dorothy who dreams she has landed in the Land of Oz, far from her Kansas home.  She travels down a yellow brick road to Emerald City after she is advised by the good witch of the east that the Wizard of Oz can return her to her home.  She meets all kinds of characters along the way, while trying to avoid the wicked witch of the west. 

Dorothy meets three characters as she travels down the yellow brick road-the scarecrow, tin man, and lion are on their way to visit the Wizard of Oz as well.  They are each seeking something they lack: the scarecrow needs a brain, the tin man a heart, and the lion needs courage. 

What does this have to do with reimagining rural? 

I have never analyzed the Wizard of Oz story line as a metaphor, but as I’ve thought about it lately, I think it shares an important lesson about leadership.  Our rural communities need leaders who have wisdom, heart and courage.  What’s best is, like the characters in the film, we have leaders who already possess these traits-it’s just a matter of discovering and nurturing them. 

I think it’s also provides an easy way we can look at team or committee building in our small towns.  For your next community project, look specifically for three (or more) people who have the wisdom, heart and courage it will take to get your particular project accomplished.  And, I would bet that if we look at previous successful projects, we’ll find that those three characteristics were all a part of making things happen. 

How can you find and energize your community’s scarecrows, tin men and lions?

 

Photo Credit: Brian Negin, Flickr

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Posted in Community Development, Leadership | Comments ( 1 )

One Response to “What does a scarecrow, tin man and lion have to do with your rural community?”

  1. Randy Stratton Says:
    April 23rd, 2010 at 10:01 am

    Each community needs to find these leaders and the Wizard of Oz is the perfect metaphor for searching and finding leaders. If we don’t apply courage and heart into re-thinking our rural communities and sustainable practices….we will miss the mark and investments and human capital will go where there is leadership and vision.

    Keep the faith and the vision of our grandparents who have passed on their pioneering spirit to each of us. Don’t wait for someone else to take action…the canvas is waiting for the ideas and vision to unfold.

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