Socks as a Leadership Tool!

One of the great aspects of the John Maxwell Team (JMT) culture is that we like to have fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously. At the Live Training events you will see many male team members and JMT staff wearing very colorful and funny socks. Everyone has a lot of fun with this. Up until I joined the JMT I would never think of wearing these crazy fun socks.

Last February 2013 was my first experience with this sock phenomenon during my certification at the Live Training. After I went home I thought, I will get some colorful socks to wear at the next Live Training event. It never crossed my mind to wear them every day at the office. With a few pairs of new socks I did wear some while in Guatemala along with some of the JMT coaches. Then last August I brought my socks to Orlando and had some fun. I noticed that the new JMT members really enjoyed them and they relaxed as they laughed at the silly looking socks. We became connected.

Then one day I thought, why not try wearing a pair of my colorful socks to the office. Would people still take me seriously? As a result of joining the JMT along with many new experiences and growth I’ve had over the last year, I’ve become much more comfortable in my own skin. I decided try wearing a pair to work.

What I discovered was that these colorful and fun socks are an excellent leadership tool. Because of my position in the organization as a director leading over 100 folks, many people have been programmed to feel intimidated by someone in that position of leadership. I need to connect with them and make sure they can honestly share what is working, what is not, and what they think would be even better for our team. Maybe socks are the answer! I started wearing my colorful socks to the office and started to get folks to notice them. When I did I discovered a powerful leadership tool.

So now I wear them every day and when I approach a team member, I ask them what day it is. Is it Monday, Hump Day eve, Hump Day, Friday Eve, or Friday? Then I show them the socks I have on for the day to celebrate that day. When I tell them I am celebrating that day something magical happens. They laugh, they make fun of my socks, I laugh at myself and all of a sudden I am a team mate not the “Boss”. I am finding that after I break the tension with this simple leadership tool I am having deeper and more meaningful conversations with these normally reserved team members. Their perception is quickly changed and they open up to share their concerns, ideas, and dreams.

So, I challenge you to try using this powerful leadership tool to help you become a better, more approachable and fun leader. They are only socks. What do you have to lose?

About the Author

A retired Naval Aviator, Russ Stalters currently leads a team of information technology professionals for BP America in Houston, TX and is using his JMT training and experiences to help train and coach the next group of leaders within BP.

Contact Russ at :  http://www.johncmaxwellgroup.com/russstalters/