November 11, 2020

Wacky Wednesday: Leaders Should Actually Direct In Simple Riddles

Wacky Wednesday: Leaders Should Actually Direct In Simple Riddles

In my experience, most leadership communication is extremely “un-exciting”.

Mission statements? Vague.

Quarterly goals? Forgettable.

Emails that start with “Per my last…”? A total snooze-fest. 😴

It’s time to spice things up.

I propose a radical new approach.

Leaders, start giving directions exclusively in riddles.

Think about it. Instead of “Increase Q3 sales by 15%,” imagine your CEO standing up and declaring:
“I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? …Oh, and also—let’s crush our targets.”

Confusing? Maybe.

Memorable? Absolutely. 💯

Suddenly, everyone’s paying attention.

The accounting team is debating whether it’s an echo or a whistle.

Marketing is wondering if it’s a metaphor for brand visibility.

Karen from HR is just relieved it’s not another slide deck.

Chaos? Maybe.

Engagement? Through the roof. 🎯😄

Riddles force people to think.

They spark curiosity, collaboration, and maybe even a little friendly competition.

No one zones out when the boss sounds like the Riddler from Batman.

Suddenly, every all-hands meeting feels like a game show—and who doesn’t love a good game show? 🃏🎉

Plus, it’s a fantastic filter for critical thinking.

If your team can’t decode “What has keys but can’t open locks?,” do you really trust them with the new product launch? 💡🔑 Exactly.

And let’s talk innovation.

Riddles require creativity.

They push people to look at problems sideways, upside down, and inside out.

You’re not just building a better widget—you’re building better thinkers.

Sure, there might be a few missteps.

Someone might spend three days trying to solve “What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?” instead of finishing the quarterly report. (It’s your name, by the way. 😉)

But hey—no one ever changed the world by playing it safe.

So leaders, it’s time to ditch the dull and embrace the delightfully puzzling.

Give your team a challenge worth unraveling.

Who knows?

The next big idea might be hidden in a riddle.

Happy Wacky Wednesday. Stay curious. Stay clever.

And for goodness’ sake—bring a thesaurus. 📖✨

If you’re tired of the coddling and crave more unfiltered takes, subscribe for weekly doses of uncomfortable truths.

Cheers,
Roy
My Podcast Show Audacious Moves to A BILLION shares the specific Moves I made to achieve jaw-dropping growth in an insanely competitive internet business.

”The Audacious Unheard of Ways I Took a Startup to A BILLION IN SALES” is the latest in my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series.

• Posted 11.11.20 at 06:00 am by Roy Osing
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