Papa Smurf is a Hall of Fame Leader
Do We Still Have Papa Smurfs?
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Papa Smurf is a Hall of Fame Leader
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
Looking back at my childhood, I now realize it was filled with wonderful leadership examples. They might be a bit different than what you were thinking. It was Winnie-the-Pooh, Superman, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Optimus Prime that filled my Saturday mornings with leadership wisdom. While I was blessed with wonderful parents and coaches, that is a story for a different day.
I grew up in a time when many of my heroes came from the television. It was certainly entertainment for me. However, the cartoons I watched provided so much more. There were valuable lessons on leadership, empathy, resilience, and kindness. They modeled how to be just a plain old good, nice, person. One of my favorite cartoons was the Smurfs. And in particular, I was a big fan of Papa Smurf. He was more than a three-apples-tall cartoon character; he was an example of an effective, compassionate, resilient leader.
Which got me thinking, who are today’s “Papa Smurfs” for our youth? Do we still have them? Do these generationally unifying examples of teamwork, ethics, and integrity still exist? Or, have they been replaced by short YouTube videos, TikTok, and Instagram? Unfortunately, the world is filled with Gargamels. And in many ways social media has become the most menacing Gargamel.
I believe today’s Papa Smurfs are the coaches, teachers, and youth leaders we put in front of our children. Dedicated servant-leaders who show us what it means to guide, protect, and inspire. A caring influence can make all the difference in another person’s life. Here are some thoughts on how Papa Smurf’s wisdom can help us become better 28-apples-high leaders and team members.
Lead with Care and Support. Papa Smurf cared deeply about his village and each of its members. He didn’t just bark orders; he invested in the well-being of every Smurf. Even when the Smurfs made mistakes, which seemed to happen a lot, he didn’t give up on them. Instead, he patiently helped them learn from the mistake to grow and improve.
Facing Challenges with Resilience. Every day, Papa Smurf faced a sinister foe: Gargamel. Gargamel was determined to capture the Smurfs. Leaders and coaches also have daily challenges. Papa Smurf’s calm, strategic response to these challenges helped his village become more resilient and adaptable.
Empowering Through Delegation and Trust. Papa Smurf knew the strengths of each Smurf and gave them tasks that aligned with their talents. By trusting his Smurfs to carry out their roles, he empowered them to take ownership and responsibility – and built trust.
Fostering a Strong Community. Papa Smurf’s care built a strong, connected village where every Smurf felt valued. Through collaboration and unity, the Smurfs were stronger together.
Patience and Empathy. Patience was one of Papa Smurf’s strongest traits. He didn’t ever rush to judge or chastise the Smurfs when they made mistakes. Instead, he patiently mentored them, allowing them to learn and grow.
Incorporating Papa Smurf as a leadership model can help us create teams that are resilient, connected, and purpose-driven. Just as Papa Smurf guides his Smurfs, effective leaders can use vision, patience, trust, and community to build strong teams. He showed us that great leaders are those who help their teams grow and thrive, even in the face of challenges, no matter how tall you are or what you look like … we can all be a Papa Smurf!
Caring about the happiness of others, we find our own.”
— Plato
Connecting this quote to the story. The quote relates to Papa Smurf's selfless leadership and how his deep care for the village created a joyful place to live, sans Gargamel.
Chasing Influence tip: Great leaders grow other leaders, not just followers.
** A big thanks to my activities director colleague Jason Woodward for prompting this post and Papa Smurf leadership ideas.
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
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©Troy Urdahl, 2024