I heard a great story yesterday in the book I’m listening to—Backable by Suneel Gupta. When boxed cake mixes were first invented they were NOT a hit. All you had to do was add water and the inventors were perplexed at their lack of sales. So they did some research and found out that they had made the cake mix TOO SIMPLE—the “at home baker” stated they didn’t feel like they were baking at all by just adding water. So the inventors went back and took out the dehydrated egg so the “at home baker” had to physically crack an egg to make this simple cake. And guess what? It worked! Boxed cakes became an overnight success!

Why is this information important for you and me? Well, it’s all about micromanaging. Sometimes we want things done quickly or done right, so we only give our team the opportunity to “add water,” and that’s not enough. We need to let them “crack an egg” now and again, even if that means the counter gets a bit messy or we get some shells in the batter—both of which can be rectified, by the way.

So today, take a look at your team and think about that boxed cake. Are you only allowing them to add water? Are you taking away their engagement or creativity? The best leaders let their team crack some eggs! And when you do, everyone grows, and isn’t that what leadership is all about?

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth

P.S. Backable is a great book, btw.