Small Leaders Need Others to be Small (Micro Fiction)Ray Davies’ (2017) Broken Song

 

Joining in with What Pegman Saw fiction challenge, which brings us to Portsmouth Harbor in the United Kingdom this week. 

Here is the photo prompt for today’s 150-word fiction:

 

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Small Leaders Need Others to be Small

(fiction word count: 150)

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Small leaders

need others to be small

when D. was demoted

he then cut wings

of those in his path

his role allowed him scissor access

He snipped my wings

        ….blood flowed

.

D.’s wings were butchered

brought him back down after promoted to incompetence level

So…

of course he would come my way

snipping elevated him temporarily: bulldoze and feel big

Envy was in the breeze

insecure from faulty perceptions

deceitfully thinking others have it better

Wait…

Some of us DO have it better

Because we’re NOT

stuck

in mediocrity.

Today…

I was finally starting my new job in Portsmouth.

The rusty sign read, “We are bruised, not daunted. We are still as determined as ever…”

That was me.

Bruised. Not daunted. Seasoned.

Determined as ever

to work with strong leaders

not stuck in mediocrity

Leaders allowing others to get big

leaders nurturing wings

letting people fly

soaring

together 

.

—

Author Note:

Today’s fiction connected to a sign from the history of Portsmouth, Harbor UK. 

Between July 1940 and May 1944, Portsmouth was hit by 67 air raids and after the heaviest raid, Portsmouth’s mayor, Sir Denis Daley, wrote in the Evening News:

“At last the blow has fallen. Our proud City has been hit and hit hard by the enemy. Our Guildhall and many of our cherished buildings now lie a heap of smoking ruins. To you all, however, I wish to pay tribute to the splendid manner in which you have stood up to this violent calamity, and especially I should like to thank all those members of the public services who stood to their jobs, as I knew they would do…We are bruised, but we are not daunted, and we are still as determined as ever to stand side by side with other cities who have felt the blast of the enemy, and we shall, with them, persevere with an unflagging spirit towards a conclusive and decisive victory.

In 2001, the navel area in Portsmouth was redeveloped into clubs, pubs, and a large retail shopping centre known as Gunwharf Quays (more here).

In today’s fiction, the lead character was taking on a new job at a business in Gunwharf Quays. This character formerly worked under a small leader – who hurt employees after he was demoted.  So this new job would allow the character to work with like-minded colleagues rather than at a place where mediocrity was allowed, accepted, and ignored. 

So let’s all “keep on keepin’ on” – now matter what life brings our way – maybe not a colleague or leader issues, but life happens and sometimes we bleed.

To quote Portsmouth’s former mayor, “Let’s find ways to persevere with an unflagging spirit towards a conclusive and decisive victory.” I like the sound of that line: “…persevere with an unflagging spirit towards a conclusive and decisive victory.” I’m in. How about you?

 

Care to join in with the What Pegman Saw ? go here.  

To read more fiction entries for this week’s Portsmouth, UK location, go here. 

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Song for today – was going to share Tal Bachman’s (1999) song High Above Me (here) – 

however, a search for the Portsmouth quote introduced me to the Ray Davies’ (2017) Broken song (here).  The lyrics really seemed to fit.

Hallelujah, hallelujah
I might be bruised but we’re not broken

Give the song a chance before you turn it off… it really picks up at the 50 second mark 

And my heart (heart) is still beating
I’m alive (live) and I’m still breathing
I’ve got hope (hope) it’s gonna get better
I might be bruised but I’m not broken

No

 

 

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