One of the fundamental principles of modern design, argued most prevalently by the great Milanese graphic designer Bruno Munari, remains intact: Modern design discards aesthetic beauty in an abstract sense in favor of formal coherence. In other words – and as any first-year design student has heard ad nauseum by now – form follows function. The reason this principle persists in the art world is because it is an elementary observation of the natural world in which we are embedded and to which we are subservient.

Munari’s visionary 1966 work Design As Art is a timeless classic of the art and design genre, and held dear by many designers across a number of industries. What might not be self-evident while reading it, however, is its crossover application to the leadership discipline. What do the practices of design and leadership hold in common with one another? Is there any correlation to be made? The question begs a close analysis of Munari’s masterpiece through the lens of leadership.

What makes you unique?

I believe we all have God-given talents and abilities that are uniquely ours. I came across an analogy the other day that we are all different machines, built for different purposes. One person may be a pickup truck, while someone else may be a sports car, minivan, or maybe even a motorcycle.

Each vehicle serves a distinct purpose. A Prius may not be able to haul a boat like an F-150 but it’s a great car for a cross-country road trip. And you may not see many minivans on the Autobahn, but they make for great family vehicles. The problem comes when we expect a machine to do something it wasn’t built to do. If we expect a motorcycle to act like a truck, everyone ends up frustrated and the job doesn’t get done.

What makes a team great? How do you build a truly special team? How do you keep yourself and your team motivated? What gives leaders their edge?

Throughout the three seasons of The Edge Podcast, host Tim Leman has enjoyed digging into these topics with leaders across the country, including several from his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Our guests from The Summit City shared valuable insights on hard work, collaboration, family, and more.

“Always remember that when you’re pointing your finger at someone, you’ve got three pointing back at yourself.”

This is an adage I can vividly remember hearing at a young age, repeatedly. One time in particular, we were standing in line at the Kroger – my brother, mom, and myself – and mom was once again teaching me not to stare and point at the other patrons standing around us. Apparently, I had quite the tendency to do so, and it’s clear my boys have inherited that from me as well. It’s a good thing mom had to teach me this lesson so much; I have many moments from which to draw on to now be the teacher.

Flashback Friday: Attitude and effort is still what it is all about. Give this popular 2018 blog a read. Are you being open minded and giving your best effort? 

About a year into my tenure at Gibson, I was named to the Leadership Team and responsible for our revenue and growth in a “Chief Growth Officer” role. Not only was I new to Gibson, I previously had no technical knowledge or career experience in two of our three business units. Before my first major meeting with our group, I was already hearing the whispers about this newly created role and my (lack of) qualifications to be in it.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Chris Naylor, EOS Implementer and  Business Coach. We hope you enjoy Chris’ wisdom and perspective.

Do you have too much on your plate? Feeling overwhelmed and unfocused at work? Juggling too many priorities?

If so, now’s the time to schedule a Clarity Break! If you’re not doing them, you’re at a disadvantage – possibly missing opportunities to reach your full potential.

A Clarity Break™  is a regularly scheduled appointment on your calendar with yourself to work ON your business. Clarity Breaks allow you to clear your head, envision the future, think strategically, and focus on what’s most important.

“The true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders genuinely care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.” – Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last

This is from one of my favorite books. It hits on the critical importance of personal sacrifice and its role in leadership.

Modern employees are tired of command and control management. They are looking for flexibility, personal growth, purpose, and a different lifestyle. And it's not just the younger generation. 

We must lead this workforce differently. But how?

Flashback Friday: A popular blog post from 2020 with a message that is just as important today. Is your organization playing the infinite game? What is your Just Cause?

“The true value of an organization is measured by the desire others have to contribute to that organization’s ability to keep succeeding, not just during the time they are there, but well beyond their own tenure.” - Simon Sinek, The Infinite Game

In 2009’s Start With Why, author Simon Sinek makes the point that all organizations and individuals have a “Why.” It’s our origin story, the reason we do what we do.

Why is our purpose, cause, or belief. Our purpose comes from our past. It’s born out of how we were raised and the values we were exposed to.

And, according to Sinek, it’s far more important than how you do it or what you deliver. As he often says, “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”

Every quarter, our employees meet with their manager to address two very basic questions:

1. What's working?
2. What's not working? 

These questions may not seem like much on the surface. But after thinking through them quarter after quarter, I’ve started to realize just how powerful they can be.