Blog Post Image #7: The Velvet Covered Brick

1. Think about some of the great leaders you've observed who have adopted the velvet covered brick style of leadership. Describe a time when they balanced the paradox of being both tough and tender. -- I had a basketball coach a few years ago that was great at balancing the paradox. I remember in the middle of the season our team wasn't doing so good for a period of time and in practice she would get on us for not working hard enough and that kind of thing. Though, whenever she was hard on us in practice, at the end of the practice she would always tell us how proud of us she was for working so hard in a time where it's easy to get discourages. Sometimes she would even start tearing up when she was telling us how proud she was.

2. In contrast, what pitfalls have you observed about leaders who fail to embrace the velvet covered brick style of leadership?-- I have also had coaches that don't balance the paradox and the outcome never leads to success. I had a soccer coach in middle school who was always angry and we never really saw an emotional side to him that felt real. Most of the team didn't like him because of this and a lot of team members ended up quitting.

3. From the "Confrontation 101" section of this Habitude, list three steps that are most difficult for you to put into practice. -- The most difficult steps for me are initiating the contact, encourage them to respond, and affirming my love and respect for them.

Self-Assesment

I think I'm a mix between a Teddy-Bear and a Fox. I tend to like to make peace with someone when there is a conflict but I also don't mind if we both win and lose a little as long as we can move on from the situation positively.