Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen works through design problems with a pen and pad in hand. He often scribbles notes with outlines, suggestions, ideas, potential solutions, and questions.
More than occasionally, he leaves these writings on the desks of colleagues or places them in conference rooms for others to discover. He sprinkles motivation, inspiration, and ideas without saying anything.
Leaving ideas for others to find is something worth considering. Placing a book on a nightstand, leaving a whiteboard full of questions for others to see, sending an outline without context or explanation, sticking a post-it note with an inspirational quote on an office door.
Like breadcrumbs on the trail to self-discovery, leaders who leave behind clues, messages, and ideas for others sometimes have a hidden influence that suggests a new path or sparks a better idea.
They don’t do it for effect. They do it to inspire.
Leave-behinds are not only effective in stimulating ideas and inspiring others. They can also prime difficult conversations or raise uncomfortable topics. Asking people what they think about a particular book, film, or podcast begs the question of, “Why are you asking?” No specific answer is necessary. Only the curiosity of seeking an opinion and potentially starting a conversation.
Occasionally, inspiration or suggestion should take the indirect route. People become creative when they discover things, including potential solutions to longstanding problems. Without resistance, defensiveness, or judgment to derail them, people who find a leave-behind open their minds and seek to understand. What a great outcome.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
