Everything gets better when a leader gets better. I was reminded of this truth by reading this recent The Conversation article about of all things… constructing the perfect sandcastle. The parallels between constructing the perfect sandcastle and becoming the perfect leader are startling. Allow me to explain.
When constructing the perfect sandcastle, author Joseph Scalia writes that water is the key. He notes, “Water is cohesive, meaning that water likes to stick to water. But water also sticks to or climbs up certain surfaces. Look at a half-full glass of water and you will see the water going up the insides of the glass a little. Gravity still holds the water in the glass, but the water is trying to climb up and wet the surface. This tiny power struggle is what makes sandcastles possible. Right where the air and water meet, there’s surface tension.”
We learn several leadership lessons from the paragraph above about what leaders do to make things more successful:
Leaders Attracts Other Leaders
Scalia teaches us water likes to stick to water. Like attracts like and leaders like to stick with other leaders. As your organization begins to build a leadership culture, it will attract more and more leaders.
Leaders Are Always Breaking New Ground
Few people knew that water is always looking to break out of the glass it is contained in. It is only gravity which holds it down. Leaders are the same way. They are always looking to “break out of the glass.” Leaders are always breaking boundaries and taking new ground. Just as there is always tension between water and gravity, there is a constant battle between leaders and the status quo.
Scalia continues by writing, “The quantity of water in the sand controls the size and strength of the water bridges. Too little water equals little bridges between the sand grains. More water, and the size and number of bridges grows, increasing the suction holding the sand grains together. The result is perfect sandcastle sand.” This leads to perhaps the three most important parallels.
The Most Successful Organizations Have The Most Leaders
You can never have too many leaders. Just as the quantity of water in the sand controls the size and strength of the sand, the quantity of leaders your organization has determines its size and strength. The goal of every organization should be to acquire and raise up as many leaders as possible. The more leaders you have the more successful your organization will be.
Growing Leaders Build Growing Organizations
The capacity of your leaders determine the capacity of your organization. Therefore, one of your goals as an organization should be leadership development and their personal growth. Just as more water increases the size of the castle, the size of the capacity of your leaders allows your “castle” to grow as well.
Leaders Hold Everything Together
Finally, what makes the perfect sandcastle is the more water you have, the more suction that is created and thus holds the sand together. That is what great leaders do. Great leaders are like duct tape. They hold everything together. Great leaders solve problems and create beauty out of ashes. They bring a sense of calm and security to everyone in your organization.
Conclusion
Attract other leaders, break new ground, make your organization successful, be committed to personal growth, and hold everything together. Do these five things and you will be a leader who makes things more successful.
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