Leadership Leap Frog is a game for leaders of the informal or formal variety. It requires multiple players but is more fun and progressive when an entire organization gets involved. The formal leader, the one with the title, goes first by jumping beyond where he was standing and the way he was thinking and behaving. This move is called a trans-form-ation as it involves changing the boundaries of one’s form. It inspires Follower A to stand on the leader’s shoulders and leap beyond him. With this move A becomes the informal leader.
Follower B, inspired by both the formal and informal leader, but she must jump twice, first standing on the formal leader’s shoulders, then standing on the shoulders of the informal leader. Follower B is now leading the pack.
More importantly the whole group has moved ahead. It has been trans-formed. Inspired by A & B, the formal leader performs a double leap.
And so it goes. Each and every player participates in the continuous transformation of the game’s boundaries, advancing himself and the organization as they all leap for joy.
Player Requirements
In order to play the leader must be self confident and humble. She leaves her ego at the door. She must be willing to surround herself with players who will at times surpass her. She must also obey the principle that leadership is proven by concrete achievements as well as the continuous expansion and realization of human aspirations.
Leadership Leap Frog at Zappos
Tony Hsieh who appeared as an otter in Chapter 1 of the Zappos series has been transformed into a frog, not by the kiss of a princess but by my imagination. The play by play of his leadership leap frog game is reported below.
Announcer: Hiseh starts the game with a giant leap of faith in the possibility that work can be fun. In this one leap he accepts an offer to sell LinkExchange a company he co-founded. He leaps because he now dreads going to work. The company got too big too fast. The lesson? Stop chasing money. Start chasing passion. Pay attention to culture.
In Tony’s next few jumps he and some friends create a venture fund that invests in Zappos and a few other start ups. Eventually he accepts an offer to become CEO of Zappos. He leaps again, committing to Culture as Job 1. And #1 on the list of cultural attributes – have fun – which means build a community of people who enjoy being together.
Now Keith, Follower A and a Zappos employee, leaps over Tony’s shoulders to the head of the pack. After an urgent call from Tony and no time to go home to pack, he boards a plane from Sacramento to Kentucky. Zappos had outsourced logistics and shipping, it’s core expertise, to a company that was really botching things up. Keith is tasked with straightening things out. He expects to be there for a week. Eight weeks later he is still living in a hotel and has purchased a new wardrobe.
At the same time Zappos is running out of cash. Tony thinks about Keith’s commitment, about how he left home on an hour’s notice to save the company. What a leap.
At the moment, standing on Keith’s shoulders, Tony decides to make the next big leadership leap. He invests the rest of his savings, the hundreds of millions he earned from the sale of LinkExchange, in Zappos. If Keith could leave home with an hour of notice and give his life to Zappos for eight weeks, Tony would do the same.
The game goes on. Zappos is an extraordinary company making extraordinary leaps in bringing soul and meaning to work.
To return to the first chapter in this Corporate Soul series, click here.
The final chapter – What Not to Learn from Zappos. One reader said it may be the most important one in the series.
I usually post only one picture but I really liked both of these and couldn’t decide, so I used my rule of shopping. When you can’t decide, get both.
I have really enjoyed your comments, as have other readers, so please continue to voice in. If you know of any corporate souls worth a post, please mention them and I’ll be in touch with you.
