How to Be a Great Leader – Lessons from Children’s Books
How to Be a Great Leader – Lessons from Children’s Books
What makes a great leader? A quick web search will yield lists upon lists of “how to be a great leader” articles from Forbes to Harvard Business Review and beyond. Sometimes the answer we are looking for can be found in the most unexpected place: Children’s books.
As we grow into adulthood and settle into our daily work lives, we become hardened by our experiences. Sometimes it takes the simplest of stories to help remind us of what matters and get back to the all-important basics.
Here are 10 children’s books with simple lessons on leadership:
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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Poor Alexander is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. From the time he wakes to having gum in his hair, to not being able to sit in the seat he wanted in the carpool, to no dessert at lunch, a bad visit at the dentist and so on. Everything went wrong down to lima beans for supper. Alexander is ready to move to Australia. At bedtime, Alexander’s Mom offers some sage advice and says that “some days are like that, even in Australia”.
Lesson: Bad days happen, and they are survivable.
Being a leader is knowing how to react appropriately. Keeping your cool when it seems like the walls are coming down around you can be tough. Alexander reminds us that bad days happen to everyone, and we can get through them.
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The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
This story is about a circle who is missing a piece. The pacman-like circle bumps along, singing and enjoying its surroundings while looking for the perfect piece to become complete. After the circle finally finds the perfect piece that fits, it realizes that when complete it rolls far too fast to enjoy things along the way – like the company of a beetle or the smell of a flower. So, it decides that it was happier searching for the missing piece than actually having it.
Lesson: Find value in the journey.
Leadership is not a race, but a slow and steady journey of self-discovery. Effective managers stop, listen and observe the things that are going on around them. They are adaptable like the circle was. Sometimes it is better to switch gears, slow down and take everything in.
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The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
This timeless story is about a train that has broken down and needs help. Several trains pass the broken-down train carrying dolls and toys with excuses to not help. When the little blue engine passes, she doesn’t have to be flagged down, but simply stops to offer help. Even though she is unsure she can do it, she puts forth her best effort and tells herself “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” This chant helps the little blue engine succeed.
Lesson: Get outside of your comfort zone.
Never underestimate the value of a good pep-talk. Having difficult conversations, hearing honest feedback and evaluating mistakes made can prove to be challenging even for the most seasoned executive director. “The Little Engine that Could” teaches us to do our best and believe in ourselves even if the task at hand is not in our everyday wheelhouse.
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If You Give a Mouse A Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
As the title mentions, the boy in this book gives a mouse a cookie. This leads the mouse to then ask for a glass of milk and then a straw and so on and on until the mouse gets thirsty and asks for another glass of milk which leads him to ask for another cookie!
Lesson: Think through the consequences.
Every cause has an effect. Sometimes we are so quick to change the way we do things because one little slip-up occurred. Be mindful and think about the implications of “just one cookie”; think through how that one cookie will affect the entire organization. If you don’t think things through, you could end up doing more work than you planned.
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Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard
The students in room 207 are misbehaving again. They are the worst-behaved class in the school and don’t respect their teacher, Miss Nelson at all. One day Miss Nelson goes missing and is replaced by a strict substitute, Miss Viola Swamp. After a week with Miss Swamp, Miss Nelson returns to find a well-behaved and respectful class. At the end of the book, it is revealed that Miss Viola Swamp was Miss Nelson in disguise.
Lesson: The grass isn’t always greener.
The students in room 207 quickly learn a lesson in remorse and regret when they realize that they actually didn’t have it too bad with sweet Miss Nelson. Have you ever left a job for a new opportunity only to find yourself longing for your previous role and responsibilities? Periods of discontentment happen but throwing in the towel isn’t always the answer.
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The Good Egg by Jory John
This is the story of a good egg, a very good egg who lives in a carton with 11 misbehaving eggs. The good egg is the only one keeping all of the not so good eggs in line. One day, he decides that he has finally had enough, and he sets off on an adventure of self-discovery where he grows a beard, gets outside, and learns to take time for himself. After he has learned to prioritize his own well-being, he returns to the carton.
Lesson: Self-care is essential.
The good egg learns that he has to take time for himself to cope with the external stressors in his life. When you are steering the ship, there can be a lot of pressure to not let anyone down. It can be all too easy for those at the head of the team to put themselves last which can lead to burnout. Self-care isn’t selfish, it builds resilience and allows for administrators to better cope with challenges that they may face.
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Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Swimmy is a little black fish born into a school of red fish. One day, a large tuna fish comes along and eats all of Swimmy’s school except for him. Swimmy is lonely at first, but then he discovers many amazing creatures in the ocean. He finds another school of redfish, but they remain very still because they do not want to be gulped up by the bigger fish. Swimmy teaches them to swim together in unison so that they can pretend to be a big fish and avoid being eaten. Swimmy is able to use his unique characteristic to his advantage when he acts as the eye of the larger fish, they all create together.
Lesson: Be adaptable.
Swimmy experiences great change when his school is eaten and he is left alone. He uses teamwork and ingenuity to find a viable solution for his new school of fish to survive. If there is any constant in life, it’s change. An adaptable leader understands that there is no one solution for any given problem and is agile enough to not only respond to an issue but help their team thrive.
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Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Little Blue Truck is driving along and greeting his animal friends with a friendly “beep” as he passes until a big rude dump truck comes flying by and gets stuck in the mud. Despite the dump truck’s rudeness, little blue truck attempts to help the big dump truck out of the mud and he also gets stuck. All of the little blue truck’s friends come around to help them both get unstuck. In the end, the dump truck apologizes.
Lesson: Be a compassionate leader.
How does compassion relate to leadership? It’s seeing that each team member is not only an individual but an essential part of the team. It’s giving your team what they need to excel, supporting them and enhancing their happiness and well-being. Little Blue Truck recognized each little animal on his way and it served him well when he exercised compassion and attempted to save the big dump truck.
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The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Duncan goes to get his crayons to color and finds instead a pile of complaint letters from the crayons! Pink crayon thinks she is being underused. Blue is becoming short and stubby from overuse. Gray wants to color small things instead of big things, and orange and yellow are arguing because they both think they should be the color of the sun. Duncan tries to make his crayons happy by coloring a big picture in a different way than usual- trying to meet the needs of each crayon.
Lesson: Listen to feedback.
Sometimes feedback is hard to hear. It is important for those in charge to take into consideration the perspective of their employees and try to resolve issues that arise. We can always learn from those around us. Being open to feedback makes you a better leader.
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The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This is the story of a tree and a boy, who develop a relationship with one another. The tree is very “giving” and as the boy grows older he takes different things from the tree. When he’s a teenager he says he wants money, and the tree gives him apples to sell. When he’s a man, the boy asks for a house and the tree gives him branches to build his house. The boy wants to build a boat and the tree gives his trunk. Eventually, the boy grows old and just wants a place to sit and the tree, having been reduced to nothing more than a stump, offers him a seat and the tree is happy.
Lesson: Serve your team.
In one of my very first leadership roles, my boss once asked me, “who do you work for?” And I responded with the usual answers: “you. . . the company.”
My boss quickly corrected me, “No, you work for your team. Support them and success will come.”
The lesson in the giving tree is similar. The tree is always there for the boy. The trick is figuring out how to support your team as they grow.
A Simple Reminder About Being a Great Leader:
The magic found in the pages of children’s books helped to create the leader you are today, and those lessons can continue to help you do your best work. The next time you are attempting to rally the troops maybe remind them to swim like Swimmy. In times of adversity, reassure your community that you are there to back them like the giving tree. Never forget the strength that you possess by repeating the timeless motto “I think I can, I think I can.”
Nina Weierman is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, freelance writer and mother. She also writes about running, parenting and travel.
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