Leading is Like a Box of Chocolates

navigator Leadership

We all love receiving a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. But what if our leadership abilities were represented by a box of chocolates?

Each day when we get to work, we give the people we lead a box of chocolates. As they eat the chocolates throughout the day, they appreciate and enjoy each one as the chocolates motivate them throughout the workday to finish their tasks and projects.

They love the coconut cream truffle. They can’t get enough of the milk chocolate cherry. The strawberry crunch truffle is the best strawberry chocolate they’ve ever eaten. The pecan delight helps them get through the busy afternoon. They absolutely love the first 19 chocolates in the box of 20.

But then they get to the 20th chocolate: The buttercream caramel.

Let’s just say that bite leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Some will move past this thinking, “Hey the other 19 chocolates were great! I can live with one bad chocolate.” Others might be upset because the buttercream caramel is important to them. It might be the only thing they wanted out of the entire box.

That one bad chocolate represents a problem many leaders have: They may be a good leader, but their style or skillset might have just one negative attribute that turns people off to the leader. And you can bet that after months or years of eating a bad chocolate every day, they will start to resent it, and the other 19 chocolates won’t outweigh the bad one.

Maybe the bad buttercream caramel represents poor listening. Maybe it’s an inability to give credit where credit is due. Maybe it’s stubbornness or inability to adapt to changes. Maybe it represents playing favorites in the office.

Whatever the one flaw might be, if a leader wants to grow and be more effective, they need to know what’s wrong and find a way to improve it. Think of it as a chocolate maker that needs to improve his recipe. With a little time, experimentation, and help from others, that chocolate can improve; and everyone will be happier when it does.

If a leader wants to grow and be more effective, they need to know what’s wrong and find a way to improve it.

If a leader wants to grow and be more effective, they need to know what’s wrong and find a way to improve it.

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Navigator coaches are trained to bring awareness and education to leaders that need coaching for their leadership development.

Email us at info@nav2lead.com or call us at 888-771-5812 to learn more about our Navigator coaching programs to get you or your leaders on the right track.

This blog was written by Nick Sherwood for the Navigator Leadership Corporation.