18

The Bluebirds’ Secret

The Gift of Balance

Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.

M. F. Tupper

This chapter was written by Chip Bell.

There’s a bluebird house on an oak tree six feet from my bedroom window. The same pair of bluebirds comes each spring to build, populate, and empty a nest in it. This past spring, their parenting process caused me to reflect on how instructive bluebird flying lessons could be for mentors. Bluebirds don’t just hatch eggs and depart. They act as mentors in getting a young bird from the security of the birdhouse to the serenity of flight.

Effective mentoring is especially crucial in this era of rapid change and increasing organizational complexity. Employees who don’t continue to grow will be unable to cope, adapt, and succeed. Those who wait for the next opening in a much-needed training class may be quickly left behind. In times like these, the mentor becomes a key source for real-time employee learning. But combining an in-charge role with an “in-sight” goal calls for balance—and that’s where the bluebirds come in.