Halloween is tomorrow, and you may experience your fair share of tricks and treats. Whether you celebrate by dressing up, going to parties, handing out candy or taking the kids house-to-house (or even if you don’t celebrate at all), don’t let the weekend pass without learning a few leadership lessons along the way. Here are four that definitely come to mind:
- Identity matters. One of the reasons people like Halloween is that they get to take on different identities. Lesson: While that might be fun, as a leader, your identity must be consistent and familiar. Masks might be fun on Halloween, but as a leader, you can’t wear one at work. To be most effective, you must be real, transparent and authentic.
- Engagement matters. Halloween parties are fun for many people. Why? Because everyone is engaged! Everyone participates! Many people put a great deal of effort into their costumes, and they like to talk about how they come up with and executed their ideas. They enjoy the music, the games, the contests and just being around other people. Lesson: When people are engaged in an activity, they’ll put in the time and effort needed to succeed. What can you do to encourage your people to be as engaged in their work as they were when coming up with this year’s costume?
- Creativity is important. Creativity is everywhere you look on Halloween. From house decorations to costumes and everything in between, people go all out to make the most of the holiday. Even the most straight-laced people will get a little wild on Halloween, and most people are really excited about the whole process. Lesson: When you give people an outlet and purpose for their creativity, they will be creative. Make sure you’re finding ways to allow people’s creativity to flourish. Your team and the organization will benefit big time if you do.
- Fun matters. One of the reasons Halloween is one of the most popular adult holidays is that it gives people permission to just have fun. There isn’t any other “reason” for the holiday. It is just about fun. Lesson: Remember that people need to have fun sometimes to be productive the rest of the time.
What other lessons did you learn this Halloween?
Photo Credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/pumpkin-1-1521517
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