Be more like the flower

This is something I am always talking about to people I work with, I wrote it up so I can share the link with people to save me time. Be more like the flower. I can't remember if I have seen this somewhere or come up with it on my own but it's something that stuck with me. It is a reference to Super Mario. Engineering folks tend to resonate with this most, but it works equally well for other professions.

We all know little Mario is vulnerable when he's little, one wrong move and he's dead, he has no defence mechanism and has to hop around Mario world avoiding every hostile.

Super Mario on the other hand is much bigger, he has bullets, can fly in some cases and if attacked can return to being little Mario without losing a life. He really is Super Mario.

The unsung hero of the game though is the flower, it is the flower that makes Mario Super. Without it he is always going to be little Mario, no bullets, no flying, no defence.

To be a great leader be more like the flower. Don't run around using all your strength and bullets, flying around shooting things, highlighting how awesome you are, be like the flower, help others be awesome, help solve problems that cause friction to the daily work of others. People will appreciate how important you are to their success and it will become a force multiplier for the people and team(s) you work with.