Hands are the chief organs for physically manipulating the environment. Through our hands we express the love of doing, of forming for use, and of communicating.
Last week Brain Pickings published a post about Hands, based on a vintage book by John Napier, a physician specializing in hands. As often happens with creative ideas, the post got me thinking about leadership hands, and gave birth to today’s post.
The hand is changed by its work. Every employment has its own peculiar motions to which the hands and fingers must be trained and by training they acquire skill and deftness. As the hand performs its work it influences and is influenced in return. For example: a carpenter's hands, a musician's hands, a programer's hands influence what they do at the same time that they are shaped by their work.
No doubt it’s also true that the kind of love which is put into work, whether gentle and considerate or selfish and harsh, affects the motions and even the organic forms of the hands.
In leadership, hands are seen as the practical application of the day-to-day leadership behavior. We have a whole vocabulary for hands and leadership that evoke many different images of leadership styles and behaviors. They also convey influence with the type of “touch” it evokes. I don't pretend to have an exhaustive list here, therefore, feel free to add more.
See what kind of "hands" best describe your style of leadership:
Hands and action
- hands on
- hands off
- free hand
- closed hands
- tied hands
Hands and virtues
- loving hands
- sensitive hands
- nurturing hands
- uplifting hands
- generous hands
Hands and work
- extra hands
- full hands
- empty handed
- busy hands
- nimble hands
- rough hands
Hands and ethics
- crooked hand
- dirty hands
- clean hands
- free hand
- loose hands
Hands and behaviors
- hands up
- hands down
- smart hands
- right hand
- left hand
- working hands
- heavy hand
- helping hands
- creative hands
Remember. . .
Your hands reflect your leadership style and behaviors. They communicate and influence. They help or hinder. They uplift or crush. They grab power or empower. What kind of leadership hands do you have? What kind of touch do you share? How are you sculpting your hands? How do you lead with your hands?
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Photo by: chrisbb@prodigy.net