The leaders who inspire me are not one note, or one hit, wonders.
They do not play it safe, repeating the same tunes that already work for them. They explore, trying new arrangements, new approaches. They push the boundaries to discover new favorites.
I have worked with people who had a very firm grasp on their own strengths and weaknesses. They were reluctant to develop new strengths, or to work with people who might have been able to help them grow in new ways.
They had the keys they knew how to play, that made them feel comfortable. They were not looking for new ones.
It was easy for them to become stuck. They saw their leadership in terms of specific tasks or goals. They worked on a particular product; they were car people, or word people.
Their responsibility was to finish their work on time and under budget.
The leaders who inspire me want to use the whole keyboard, or more. When they hear someone play something new, they want to try to play it. They want to go further.
They recognize that we may need to design and build new instruments to be able to play that way. They realize that the fact that no one has ever done it before is an opportunity, not an obstacle. They appreciate that we can find ways to go where we want to go.
The leaders who inspire me are willing to learn by taking the piano apart, then putting it together in a new way.
The leaders who inspire me know the value of using all the keys. They create something new each day.
Which keys has your leadership been neglecting?
How willing are you to find a way to use all your keys?
[Image by Hoder Slanger]
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