The Swaying Log

A number of years ago I was fortunate to attend a weeklong session at the Leadership Development Institute. An internationally known organization for helping leaders reach their fullest potential, the group of about 16 of us went through intensive evaluation and coaching during the week.

Near the end of the week they put is in a bus and took us out into the countryside for an afternoon of team building. Commonly known as a “ropes course”, there was a series of challenges such as getting all team members over a flog suspended 8 feet in the air or falling backwards into the arms of your team mates from a 6′ height.

One challenge was a large log that was suspended just several inches over the ground. The challenge was to get all team members on the log at once with no one touching the ground. The log easily swayed back and it was set to roll, so stability was a major issue. The course instructor gave us the challenge and let us to it.

After a brief test of the lack of stability, we decided to use our heads. One team member came up with the idea of wedging something between the ground and log, locking it in place. We did that, all sat on the log and finished the challenge.

The instructor was incredulous. He told us that we were cheating and if we wanted to cheat our way through the course, so be it. I stepped up and told him that he set the rules and just because we did not solve the problem set before us in a typical way, does not invalidate our solution. He stormed off to lead us to the next challenge.

At the end of the afternoon, the instructor gathered us around and apologized. He recognized that we did use uniqueness and because he thought we should have struggled and we didn’t, it threw him off his game.

Honey Glazed Carrots

These carrots are like little logs, but last much better.

I’m glad to always try a new side-dish recipe.

Give them a quick boil.

Getting that honey glaze!

Oh yeah!

Honey Glazed Carrots

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Salt
1 pound baby carrots
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and then carrots and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.

Nutritional Info: Nutritional Analysis Per Serving
Calories 139
Total Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Protein 2 g
Total Carbohydrates 21 g
Sugar 15 g
Fiber 3 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 63 mg

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/honey-glazed-carrots-recipe.html