Summer Reading Series: Book 2 - Toy Box Leadership

As the summer kicked off, I had the opportunity to sit down over coffee with a friend at CCU who works in the Student Activities office.   As we were discussing several things, specifically how I thought I should lead BCM in the coming days, I made a comment that reminded Nick of a book he had just read.  He asked me if I had read it, and when I told him I hadn’t, he then explained an analogy the book uses to talk about the same principle I was communicating to him.  After our conversation, I was impressed with how clearly Nick remembered the example and I immediately setout to buy Toy Box Leadership and add it to my summer reading collection.

TBL is a fantastic read, both for nostalgic reasons and also because there are several incredible leadership lessons one can learn.  From connecting through relationships to leading groups of people, the authors do a great job of relating childhood toys to critical leadership pointers for anyone influencing people.  I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about how to lead people well.

Here are some quick pointers from each chapter:

Chapter 1: Lego bricks teach us about RELATIONSHIPS 

Building begins with connecting

Chapter 2: The Slinky Dog teaches us about steering VISION 

You must pull, and then be patient

Chapter 3: Play-Doh teaches us about MENTORING

Molding people through proximity

Chapter 4: The Yo-Yo teaches us about CREATIVITY 

Letting go is paramount

Chapter 5: Mr. Potato Head teaches us about COMMUNICATION 

The right face at the right time matters

Chapter 6: The Rubik’s Cube teaches us about ETHICS 

Ethical leaders make the right moves

Chapter 7: The Rocking Horse teaches us about EFFICIENCY 

There can be a lot of movement, but not much progress

Chapter 8: Little Green Army Men teach us about STRATEGY 

We must value the setup and preparation

Chapter 9: The Lite-Brite teaches us about the CLARITY of our message 

We must illuminate what we want to communicate

Chapter 10: Weebles teach us about ENDURANCE and PERSEVERANCE 

Staying down is simply not an option