Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child

Groucho Marx, a none too small influence on one of the authors of this book, quipped in at least one film, "Why it's so simple a four year old child could understand it. Now go out and get me a four year old child cause I can't make head or tail of it." The principle serves the writers of this book well as they explore the toys- a fun variety of the toys we grew up with- in interesting and engaging ways. As other reviewers have noted, the book is all about the creative connections between the world of leadership and the toys we fondly remember. One important side note to the book: it is a reminder that the toys of yesteryear are vastly superior to many toys of today, which hardly promote creative thinking or leadership. In addition, the writers rightly promote strong personal relationships as a cornerstone to good leadership. As Groucho said, maybe four year olds are in touch with many of the somewhat simple skills we need to succeed in our too-complex and technologically driven contemporary society.

When thinking about purchasing a book, don't be deterred by a book's title (initially, I was about this one) and don't base the decision solely on testimonials by an impressive list of business thinkers (although in this instance, their praise is justified). Rather, check out as many reviews as you can, especially Customer Reviews. Others have their own reasons for commending Ron Hunter and Michael Waddell on what they achieve in Toy Box Leadership. Here are two of mine. First, they create a context for the creation and subsequent popularity of ten toys (i.e. LEGO® Bricks, Slinky® Dog, Play-Doh®, the yo-yo, Mr. Potato Head® and Rubik's Cube®, the rocking horse, little green plastic army men, Lite-Brite®, and Weebles®) and then, devoting a separate chapter to each of the ten, share thought-provoking insights on leadership lessons to be learned from each. I played with many of these toys as a child and then purchased them for four children and more recently for ten grandchildren. Frankly, the connections that Hunter and Waddell make never occurred to me. Once again, I am reminded of the "invisibility of the obvious." Consider these representative comments from the narrative: LEGO® bricks "teach us that each individual [connection between and among a company's people] is interdependent on the next connection for success. The properly placed brick within a structure provides strength and substance and adds to the overall structure. Placing each person so he or she connects properly results in the healthy utilization of human resources." "Being a Play-Doh® person does not mean you are weak, gullible, or even wishy-washy, but rather that you have determined to be molded in positive ways that are essential to their development." Such people are shaped the way they are because they are receptive to change and being changed, yet have "durable" character because their exact ingredients (i.e. humility, teachability, and desire to improve) allow the substance to have consistent integrity. "The leadership lesson from the Mr. Potato Head® toy is that you must choose the right face for the right place when communicating." The face "is the courier of the message," an extension of one's emotions, and an interpreter of one's intent. According to hundreds of research studies in which millions of respondents participated, with statistics varying only slightly among the studies, the impact of face-to-face contact is determined as follows: body language about 50-55%, tone of voice about 30-35%, what is actually spoken no more than 15-20%. All great leaders have "presence" and that is largely the result of their physicality amidst those around them. Hunter and Waddell identify and then discuss "the eight faces that every leader must pack" and then be able to call upon, depending on what the given situation requires such as empathetic concern, a show of confidence, intensity of conviction, great disappointment, or sheer delight. "Remember, it's your first expres

Many businesses, churches and organizations don't understand creative people. They do demand unique ways of communication. So often we ignore or avoid them because they seem complicated. Ron and Michael show us the value of creativity in every strata of organizational life. Their "creative" way of approaching leadership principles is guaranteed to help anyone who wants to be successful in leading others. Be a smart and creative leader. BUY THE BOOK!

I am not much of one to read books on leadership or business principles, but I found Toy Box Leadership to be interesting and informative, even if it was "just reminding me of what I already learned as a child." The book is an enjoyable read, and contains a sort of simple wisdom that can help anyone make sense of what some would make out to be complicated leadership ideas. The toy tie-ins are the best part, and really make it all stick.

I bought a copy of Toy Box Leadership initially because of the great endorsements (John Maxwell, Jeffery Fox, Ken Blanchard, Andy Andrews, Laurie Beth Jones, Dick Vitale, etc.). Now that I have gotten a couple of chapters into it, I can say that this book stands on it's on merit. I read dozens of leadership books a year and it has been a long time since I have seen such a diverse array of topics and principles communicated in such a simple, yet powerful way. I also love how they tied each toy's history and trivia into each lesson while blending nostalgia and practical wisdom. This is one book that won't just sit on my shelf - its too much fun.