Leadership Lesson from our Grandson’s Untied Shoelaces
I recently spent a couple days in Toronto with our 9 year old grandson Max. We went to watch a Raptors basketball game and to explore the big city.
And explore we did—we did a ton of walking.
The most common sentence I said to him during our walks was, "Hey buddy, looks like your laces aren’t tied."
"Yeah I know."
And most of the time he didn’t bother to tie them. Untied laces—that would drive me up the wall !
So we’re in the hotel room at the end of night two and I say, "When I’ve mentioned your shoe laces, sometimes you tie them and sometimes you don’t. What makes you decide to tie them ?"
He thinks for a bit and says,
"Well Bump, sometimes I just don’t feel like tying my shoes and sometimes I do."
I’m thinking, "He makes his bed, folds his laundry, he cleans out his school bag—I guess if untied laces is good enough for him, it’s good enough for me."
Look, I’m not saying he's perfect but untied laces isn't a character flaw that I should be concerned about. He just rolls differently than me and when I see that difference as something unique to Max, I no longer judge him. In fact, the opposite happens as I appreciate him that much more.
So for you, who in your organization, or in your life, does something differently than you—so different it might even drive you up the wall ? It could be a direct report, a supplier, a client, or maybe it's your boss !
And here’s the thing—is it time to stop judging them and start appreciating them for who they are and what they do ?
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