What This Baby Sandpiper Can Teach Us About Leadership

Hi, everyone, 

One of my favorite things is spotting strengths-based development in everyday life.

For example, as part of Activate, I recently gave our cohort some unlikely homework...to watch the six-minute animated short film, Piper. 

You can check it out for free, here. 

So what does this Oscar-winning Pixar film about a baby sandpiper overcoming her fear of water have to do with strengths and leadership?

 THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP

"Chances are your strengths are stronger and your weaknesses weaker than you realize. You need help. You are also precisely the help someone else needs." 
-- Power of 2

There are so many important lessons to be learned- and applied - from this sweet animated short about a mother bird trying to teach her little one how to find food by herself. In the film, the baby sandpiper quickly discovers that the world can be a daunting place and becomes terrified of the ocean waves that stand between her and her food buried in the sand. It is only when she meets an unlikely ally, in the form of a baby crab, that she's able to muster the courage to brave her fears and discover the skills she needs to fend for herself. 

Stop and think about that for a second. The protagonist is only able to develop the courage she needs to brave the world when she discovers her unlikely match. Similarly, in order to thrive, one of the most powerful leadership strategies we can use is creating and appreciating our complementary partnerships.

THE WEEKLY FLOURISH 

By definition, complimentary partnerships are those where different strengths are put together to achieve something great. At first glance, partnering with someone who has a similar set of talents may seem like a more productive approach. But when you collaborate with someone whose talents are different from yours, it creates a symbiotic partnership in which each individual's talents help fill in the other's deficiencies. For me, it’s my strategy to manage my weaknesses. Whenever someone joins my team, I ask them to take the CliftonStrengths assessment so we’re not only able to name their unique talents, but also understand how we can best fit together as a team and blend our superpowers for greatest impact.  

GREATNESS TAKES GUIDANCE

The first step in discovering your complimentary partner is to name your talents. This will allow you to figure out what type of person and team you can work with in order to reach your highest levels of success. We offer strengths-based development journeys for teams, as well as individual guidance on all things strengths through our new manager training program Activate. We understand that you and your team have unique needs, and we want to help you with them. Contact us today for a free assessment.

What did you think of Piper? Let me know in the comments.

To short films with long-lasting lessons,
— Carrie and Team Leadology