Today’s leadership lesson: Understanding the tools in the toolbox.

There is nothing like acquiring a new tool! Just ask Home Depot when I walk in the store! As a leader, we learn that our people are like tools in a toolbox. When we get a new tool or a new superstar in our midst that can help us accomplish our new mission, we go crazy. We start using that tool for everything! We carry it around everywhere, get it dirty, use it in the rain, forget to clean it up, and even abuse it sometimes. Then on our next trip to the tool store, we find another, that is newer, more powerful, more agile, and we buy it. All the while forgetting about the old tool, leaving it to rust in a box in the garage.

The lesson here is as a leader, we must remember that the old tool is still useful and valuable. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that these tools are PEOPLE. While your followers are the ones that help make your visions reality, they are more than tools in a toolbox.

We must protect our tools, keep them clean, protect them when we are not using them, and maintain them. Great leaders respect their followers, empower them to do great things and don’t let them rust in a box. Remember, your people have lives, families, dreams, goals, and like a great tool can get the job done. A well-maintained tool can function for years, becoming the prized possession of your workshop.

Let’s take care of our tools….our people.

Tom Darling