A long time ago, before cars and wagons, there were donkeys. In one old world village a man sat on his beast while his son walked alongside as they made their way to market.

Villagers soon began to remark, “What an awful sight to see such a big, strong man sitting on the donkey’s back while his young son has to walk.” In response, the father traded places with his son.

In no time, they soon heard, “How awful, look at that father walking while his son travels like a king!” Reacting, they both climbed on the donkey’s back, only to hear onlookers now say, “How cruel! Two people on one donkey!”

So off they climbed. Other spectators now cried, “How stupid is that! Look at the donkey with nothing to carry and two people walking.” Soon they were both carrying the donkey! They never made it to market.

The moral of this story is that there will always be those who do not support your decisions and responding to their criticisms will only keep you from getting to your destination. What’s important is that organizational leadership make informed decisions and continue to move forward accomplishing mission and reaching the vision they have set for the agency.