What a Gingerbread Challenge Can Teach Us About Leadership

Teamwork, friendly rivalry, and the hidden strengths that show up when the stakes are sweet.

If you’ve ever watched a gingerbread house competition unfold, you know the stakes get very real, very fast.

Suddenly, people who were quiet in meetings are engineering load-bearing gumdrop roofs… and the “non-creative” folks are designing architectural masterpieces out of pretzels and icing.

But here’s what we love most about these moments:Friendly competition reveals hidden strengths.You see who plans, who improvises, who leads, who keeps morale up, and who solves problems when the roof caves in — literally.

These playful challenges unlock the same skills teams rely on in heavy industry, manufacturing, and field operations:

·         quick decision-making

·         creative problem solving

·         shared accountability

·         communication in the moment

·         learning from mistakes without blame

Winning is fun — but learning how to win together is where the real leadership value lies.

If you’re hosting a team challenge this month, remember to pause afterward and ask:“What did we learn about how we work together?”

Does your workplace do any friendly competitions during the holidays?

#TeamBuilding #LeadershipSkills #WorkplaceCulture #CreativeTeams #NexusCoachingPros