Cupcake Leadership

My son’s birthday was yesterday and, as usual, my wife made cupcakes for the class.  She was running a little late so she asked me to finish icing the last batch just before she was to leave.  I grabbed a knife, the icing and the cupcakes and started icing.  As I started in on the first one I immediately realized I wasn’t just slapping the icing on, I was actually thinking of the best way to do it! Start from the sides or from the top?  Try something new on each one or do them all the same? Move the knife in a circular motion or across the face of the cupcake? 

OK, I know what you’re thinking…I admit it’s pretty dorky to be thinking about this, but it’s the way I think.  I’ve learned to immediately start thinking “what’s best?”  “How can this be done better?”  “What brings the best results?” “When is it ‘good enough’?”  After 20 years of leadership in the church, most of what I’ve done requires this kind of thinking.

So, learning from my cupcake adventure, here’s some thoughts on how leaders think:

• Quality matters – the way the cupcakes looked did matter.  Should I spend my day icing cupcakes?  No, but I shouldn’t glob the icing on either.  It’s the same in our work…quality matters.  The leader must decide when it’s “good enough”.
• Technique matters – the way I moved the knife brought the results (quality) I wanted.  As a leader, the way we do things – how we speak to people, the way we make decisions, what it is we communicate as the vision, or the methods we choose to solve problems – all matter in the way we lead.  Learn the best techniques for the situations you face and you’ll be a better leader.
• Results matter – In the end, I needed to get those cupcakes done in time for Michele to take them with her!  Our work or ministry requires the same.  We need to do things well, do things right and produce the desired results.  That might mean developing the right timeline for a big event, provide the proper training for leaders and staff, making sure the supplies are all purchased appropriately and within budget – it could mean a thousand different things!  The leader is the one who is responsible for the results in the end. 

Who knew you could learn something from icing a cupcake?!  Sometimes simple things can teach us important lessons. 

So how are you doing with your cupcake leadership?