Book

VISION, DIVERSITY, AND CULTURE
What Jigsaw Puzzles Can Teach Us About Leadership and Management

(Purchase on Amazon)

Introduction

The puzzle piece is often used as a symbol of connection, individuality, belonging, and recognition. In fact, companies will often award plaques or trophies that include the image or model of a puzzle piece to recognize team members as an essential part of the organization and its success.

During the years of the pandemic, as I shifted from being a face-to-face to a fully remote program facilitator, one habit I developed to clear my head was taking mini breaks and working on jigsaw puzzles. As the months went by, doing these puzzles revealed a variety of insights that I thought would be fun to include in my leadership training sessions. I shared a few of the insights during one session and was encouraged by how the participants related to them. These simple but practical concepts were embraced enthusiastically, stimulating connection and lively discussion within the group. That was when my wellness contributor, Dr. Lisa Elsinger, encouraged me to give these lessons a bigger platform.  Recognizing that the insights in each puzzle lesson are only part of the solution to being an effective leader, I asked her to join me on this journey by contributing an employee wellness perspective which is a key element of effective leadership practices. These combined perspectives, leadership lessons and employee wellness, is what we share with you in this book.

Working within the theme of the jigsaw puzzle, these lessons help guide leaders (supervisors and managers) with simple straight-forward insights that when put into practice will inspire a healthy work environment where teams can thrive.