Hammer or nail?

Colleagues,

MVP: Leadership takes different forms and we grow when we can appreciate them.

Whenever I do a leadership styles workshop, I begin with an activity to help people understand there is no single best style and that all styles have value.

It is a forced choice activity where people choose between:

• Oranges and apples (the correct answer is donuts 😉)
  
• Mountains and sea
  
• Hammer and nail
  

Each step of the way, I ask people to share why they chose the way they did, with the purpose of highlighting that each choice has different strengths.

In a training I did last week, most people chose a hammer, which is typical. Why a hammer?

• Get stuff done
  
• Take action
  
• Not get pounded on
  

When I asked someone on the nails side to explain why they chose nails they said this:

“It is the nails that hold everything together.”

The people who had chosen hammers all paused and became very thoughtful.

It can be difficult to appreciate the power of leaders who are not like you, but learning to see their strength is invaluable.

Today’s intention: Think about the people around you who lead in different ways, and pause to appreciate the different forms leadership takes.

Cheers!

Frederick