(leadership lesson)
My son, Benton, is absolutely amazing. I know I’m not the first father to say that. But, with this guy, a leadership lesson is always near.
He is about to launch into his fourth-grade year. A couple of months ago we were driving down the road and just the two of us were in the car. From his seat in the back, he broke the silence.
“Dad, do you think they allow people to rent Capital?” he said enthusiastically after I could tell he was deep in thought.
“Capital, the University?” I replied, trying to catch his train of thought and knowing that Capital University is a small university in downtown Columbus, Ohio where his older brother had attended basketball camp.
“Yeah, the dining hall place with all the food,” he said quickly.
I giggled.
“Why do you ask, buddy?”
“I think I want to have my birthday party there,” he said with excitement.
You see, he had heard his brother talk at lengths about how fun it was to eat in a college dining hall with all the different food options — rows of cereal, frozen yogurt, copious drink options, etc. His eyes lit up every time his brother talked about it.
The conversation then transitioned from the idea of renting out an entire University Dining Hall for a grade school birthday party into me explaining the concept of an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. He didn’t know that restaurants like this existed. His mind was blown.
“You mean the restaurant just has all of those choices and you can eat as much as you want?” he said as smoke billowed out of his ears and his hair stood up with exhilaration. “And you just pay one price and can stay as long as you want and eat as much as you want?” he double-checked for confirmation.
I nodded.
“Yep, that’s where I want to have my party!” he exclaimed.
I could hardly contain my laughter and appreciation for this unique, creative lil fella.
He was right that the concept of an all-you-can-eat buffet is mind blowing. For many in the world, the concept is unbelievable. There are so many different directions I could take that statement and run with it. For now, I’ll stay on the leadership lesson path and steer it back to some application for the groups, teams or organizations we serve.
When it comes to leadership development, many companies, teams, or organizations are either feast or famine when it comes to developing their people. They either spend very little time growing and developing their people (and it usually shows) or they try to provide a menu of development options that can look a lot like the all-you-can-eat-buffet. There is a lot of stuff there and options to choose from, but trying to eat it all generally makes you sick and overwhelmed.
The best leaders, teams, and organizations who are the most effective at developing their people and culture are not in the all-you-can-eat buffet business of learning, but rather, are laser focused on the types of food they want to feed their people. They focus on the main foods that will sustain their people and help them grow in the ways they desire.
I often ask the companies I speak for or design programs for to describe the type of leaders they want to create? Of the thousands of topics and nuances of leadership that exist in the world today, what are the most foundational attributes of the leaders they want to multiply? Let’s not gorge them with food, let’s serve them consistent meals that sustain them, grow them, and thoughtfully challenge them. I told you there was a leadership lesson in here.
So, the food we serve those on our teams and organizations must be:
- Authentic — don’t serve or develop your people and culture with cookie-cutter solutions that every other place serves. Instead, put your focus and energy into understanding and developing how authentic leadership is defined and practiced with you and your people.
- Quality — the best places don’t serve junk. They don’t serve food that saps the life out of people, is boring, and does not bring out the best in their people. The best serve experiences that engage the minds and hearts of their people.
- Intentional — don’t provide unlimited options, but instead, chew on a selected topic in a thoughtful manner where that meal can get the team’s full attention. Select topics that are relevant and then select the courses to be served over time, intentionally.
- Digestible — every meal must build in time for the participants to digest the food, appreciate it, and allow time to identify how the meal can be transformed into energy for the road ahead. Each meal is maximized by our ability to utilize the nutrients fully.
Good luck preparing your next meal for those on your team or in your organization! Don’t forget this leadership lesson — buffets are enticing, but you can do better.
Travel Gracefully,
Jason
Jason Barger is the globally celebrated author of Step Back from the Baggage Claim and ReMember, as well as a coveted keynote speaker and leadership consultant. More importantly, he’s striving to be an above average father, husband, and friend.
Follow on Twitter @JasonVBarger and learn more at JasonVBarger.com
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