All good leaders must understand the story of the frog and the scorpion. It’s one of the most important stories for a leader to keep in mind.
According to this story, the frog and the scorpion appear on the bank of a river at about the same time. The frog is about to jump in the river and swim to the other side. When the scorpion sees what’s about to happen, he engages the frog in conversation. He says to him, “Mr. Frog, I see that you’re about to jump into the river and swim to the other side.” The frog responds, “That is correct.”
So the scorpion asks for a favor. “Well, you know, I would also like to get to the other side. Unfortunately, I’m a scorpion, and I can’t swim. Would you be so kind as to let me hop on your back as you swim across the river? If you could deposit me on the other side, I would be grateful.”
The frog looks at the scorpion and says, “No. You’re a scorpion and scorpions sting frogs and kill them. I’d get out there halfway with you on my back, and you’d sting me and I’d die. Do you think I’m crazy? Absolutely not.”
The scorpion says, “Wait a minute, you’re not thinking. If I were to sting you halfway out there, surely you’d die, but so would I. Since I’m a scorpion, I can’t swim. I’d drown. That would be kind of foolish. I’m not about to do that. I just want to get to the other side.”
The frog thinks about that reasoning and says, “That makes sense. Hop on.”
So the scorpion hops on the frog’s back and they start to swim across the river. Sure enough, halfway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog. They are now both about to sink down into the water. The frog cannot believe what has happened, and he says to the scorpion, “Why did you do that? I’m about to die, but so are you. Why would you do that?”
And the scorpion replies, “Because I am a scorpion.”
* Source: Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn