I recently attended a learning forum sponsored by the Surdna Foundation at which I heard the best metaphor for thinking about the practice of leadership.
Manuel Pastor, a professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, described the difference in styles of leadership by stating there are some leaders who play chess and some who are puzzle masters. In chess, (with all due respect to chess masters and Pastor) the players are black and white, have different roles and levels of power, the game-board and rules of engagement are prescribed, and the goal is to knock other players off the board to win. With puzzles, the pieces are many colors, possessing unique shapes and equal value, and each makes a contribution toward completing the whole. Pastor’s argument is that we need more puzzle masters in today’s world.
I couldn’t agree more.
Leadership and community work call for greater understanding of how each member can offer his or her unique contributions, and how those contributions mutually reinforce each other toward achieving a common good. Despite very real power dynamics that exist in our communities, organizations and institutions (e.g. positional authority, resources, age, professional tenure, race, income, citizenship status, etc.), our new economic reality and the social and environmental challenges we face as a community, nation, or even world, are calling for ways to act less like a chess player and more like a puzzle master.
I have to admit this is a daunting task. Moving away from the more predominant and recognizable paradigm of “win-lose” (or “in/out”, “up/down”) toward practicing a new way of doing business that is more integrative and holistic won’t be easy. But just like puzzles, success in our communities will come from making sure no pieces fall off the table and we continue to strive for finding the combinations that create the whole.
Agree or disagree? Examples? I’d be interested in learning more from you about how to lead like a puzzle master.
While on the surface the methapor is novel I don’t beleive it really has any depth.
In puzzle making there is only one answer(the pieces only fit one way), there no competition(like in business) and you know what the result is suppose to be(the picture on the box really helps putting the puzzle together). For a real challenge try to make a 2000 piece puzzle with no picture once(don’t ask but trust me it will make the task a lot harder).
Leadership is just not that simple(although we sure would like it to be somedays). I would contend that the challenges of leadership more closely resembles chess, organizations have individuals with different skills and abilities, there are some basic rules that must be followed but there are many ways to get the desired results, and in most cases there are competitors try to obtain the same goal as you.
I’m a puzzle solver and also play chess for what its worth.
I love this metaphor, especially since I am a puzzle fan. Great first post!