Insights can come from very random places. As I was reading for a qualitative research class today, the author's were comparing researchers to quilt makers. This made me start thinking about connecting this concept to leaders. Quilt makers take pieces of scraps and put them together to make a beautiful design and a functional piece.
Is that so different from what leaders do? They bring together others with varying skills and experiences to accomplish a common outcome. Putting followers in different roles, based on their interests and abilities, can create different "designs" (outcomes). Sometimes what comes out is a "success" and other times, things don't go quite as planned. But you learn from each experience and can apply those lessons to the next scenario (or quilt). There is no one right way to create a quilt design nor is there one right way to lead. Leadership is a creative outlet, as is quilt making and other outlets such as photography or writing.
The other aspect of quilt making that struck me as being similar to leadership is the amount of work that it takes to create a finished quilt. When working by hand, the quilt takes time and effort to complete. But this handwork also allows for group contribution and the creation of a community of quilters coming together to finish a piece. Collaborative leadership provides for the same opportunities - people coming together to address an issue.
You could also look at quilts as representing the pieces of you as a leader. What do the pieces of your leadership quilt reflect about you?
Piecing it together...
Brenda
You know what comes to mind? That quilt makers in olden days worked with what they had--scraps. And out of pretty basic materials they created new and powerful (if you are cold) items. They didn't have to have the "best of" everything. And the better they got at making quilts the better able they were to riff on what they already knew.
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