Leadership is a Puzzle

It's that time again at our household. . .assembling the family gift of a jigsaw puzzle.   As we collectively work on it - I'm reflective of the parallels to leadership and teamwork.

First of all, we all recognize the big picture.     The photo on the cover of the box clearly tells us what we are trying to create;   we are all going to work toward that goal.  There's something else, though, presumably we were attracted to this project because we liked what we were going to create.  Teams need to see the big picture;   great teams really are attracted to, and like, what they are creating.

Putting a puzzle together is indeed a collective effort.    The more people who are looking at it - the quicker and better the results.   Each one of us has a different perspective on the puzzle and the pieces that comprise it.  One of us can see a fit where the others cannot.    We each make a contribution.   Some leaders treat teams as a necessary evil;   great leaders recognize teams as essential to success.

Our family, like most, starts the puzzle by putting the framework together.    Great projects are accomplished by teams that can create a framework by which they will collaborate and within which parameters the finished product will be completed.

Communication.   We talk while working on the puzzle.  "If you find a blue piece with writing on it - let me know.".    "Where did that red and pink piece go?".  Often the conversation is not about the puzzle, but is about life - the kind of casual, but important talks that build familiarity and bonds.   Communication within teams, even if it isn't always about work, is essential.

While we have a big picture idea of what we are creating, often the work itself dictates changes along the way.    A certain piece that we believed was a sure fit for a certain space doesn't fit at all once a complementary piece is properly installed.    So there is flexibility in our building process - it allows us to change according to the landscape so that we are ultimately successful.   And so it is in the workplace.

When we are done, we celebrate.  Whether completing a puzzle or finishing a team project.

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My book, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle for tablets, e-readers and PCs.