Seuss-ful Strategies

lessons learned from whimsical wizdom

Whether you listen to the VoiceOver for accessibility, because you’re more of an auditory learner or so you can grab some movement while we’re together—it will consistently be an option.

Photo by Taylor Heery on Unsplash

I know.

It’s been a Seuss-week around here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

All I can say is be grateful you don’t reside in my domicile as it’s always Seuss week around herehere.

SideStory: When my now 18 year old was little and we were out & about in the world and she spied someone sneaking a look at my Seuss-sleeve she’d loudly announce:

My mommy has Horton on her bum-bum.

👉 To everyone’s collective delight it is a different B-Word we are pondering today.

✔️ Business.

Whether the business of running a home, an entrepreneurial biz-venture or a role of the traditional W2-kind the themes contained in Theodor Geisel’s books provide all we need to carve a path to success.

It’s not about what it is, it's about what it can become.

Dr. Seuss

Seussian Strategies for Success

Or, to paraphrase Horton, a biz is a biz no matter how small

✔️ Creativity and Innovation:

Lesson: Dr. Seuss’ books are filled with imaginative characters, settings, and stories. At work (whatever that looks like for us) creativity and innovative thinking will always lead to unique solutions to challenges and the creation of answers (or products 😉) that set us apart from the masses.

Example: Longtime readers may recall *this* sexy & creative venture 🎁

Dr. Seuss encourages thinking outside the box (pun not intended) and believes as I do creativity is crucial for innovative work (and life!) solutions.

✔️ Resilience and Perseverance:

Lesson: Dr. Seuss' characters encounter seemingly strange setbacks and challenges. The resilience and consistency of perseverance they display teaches us big people readers the importance of staying consistently committed to long-term goals no matter what we encounter along the way.

Characters like our beloved Horton the Elephant emphasize the importance of perseverance even when others don’t possess the faith in an idea you do— a valuable trait in the world of work and beyond.

SideStory: My daughter is adopted from Guatemala. When she was little and just beginning to understand the concept of adoption, we would to talk about how she was like the elephant-bird tattooed in my Seussian leg-sleeve. We’d chat about how I didn’t ‘make’ her (she grew in another woman’s ‘tummy’) yet I sat on her like Horton (metaphorically…now I’m wondering how I explained that part!?) so she was still part *me.*

✔️ Adaptability:

Lesson: Many of Dr. Seuss' characters face challenges and changes in their environments making adaptability a key theme. In our adult world of work this shows up as being flexible and adjusting/changing in response to new conditions, circumstances, or environments. This ability to pivot (I know—a buzzword yet the perfect the word here) is crucial for success.

In his final book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go, Seuss focuses on life’s journey and the various UnExPeCtEd experiences we encounter. This writing emphasizes the importance of adaptability by acknowledging life is bursting with the unanticipated. OTPYG encourages readers to embrace change, learn from experiences, and continue forward momentum despite obstacles.

SideStory: My leg-sleeve took a while to complete (it was a collaborative effort among many Austin tattoo artists but that’s a different SideStory). It was an easy process except for this image from OTPYG:

The image, described as ‘face down our problems’ by Seuss, is the only tattoo piece ever I’ve had…problems with.

✔️ Effective Communication:

Lesson: Dr. Seuss' use of simple language and memorable rhymes demonstrates the power of compelling communication. In business, clear, concise yet passionate communication is pivotal for conveying ideas, building relationships, and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Is Seuss’ phraseology always clear? Nope. What the heck even is a Bofa on a Sofa?! Yet his rhythmic and playful language highlights the power of being engaging, attention grabbing and rising above the ‘noise.’

✔️ Teamwork, Collaboration and Ethical Decision-Making:

Lesson: Dr. Seuss often portrays characters working together to overcome obstacles. The importance of teamwork is a common theme, emphasizing to big and little people alike that success involves consistent, collective effort.

Stories like "The Sneetches" emphasize the benefits of collaboration and diversity, demonstrating how working together consistently, while not easy, will eventually lead to success.

Additionally, Dr. Seuss' stories often carry moral lessons. Whatever our ‘work’ we can learn the importance of ethical decision-making (hello parenting!), considering the broader impact of actions on customers, employees, and society as a whole.

Which leads me to…

✔️ Environmental and Social Responsibility:

Lesson: Some of Dr. Seuss' books address environmental and social issues. We can all learn from this by considering the impact of whatever it is we do on the environment and society. No matter our ‘work’ or business we should consistently think of the world outside our door and contribute positively to our community.

Hello, The Lorax.

Sidestory: A few years ago I worked for a B-Corp based in Kenya. It was a phenomenal experience working with a Team who was laser focused on business as a force for good. Every choice we made as an exec. team and as a company was done with the Seussian backdrop of asking ourselves how it would have a rippling impact on the world outside our walls.

Everyone loves a Doodle in a Seuss Hat

Here’s the thing, whether you are Seuss-smitten as we are or not the seemingly nonsensical wisdom contained in his books offers invaluable lessons to big and littles alike.

Applicable to every aspect of work-life—from running households to navigating working 13,000 km from your Team—when we allow ourselves to embrace Seussian-simplicity we are better able to tap into our own spirit of innovation.

We are better able to see and seize opportunities and transform ordinary moments into extraordinary achievements.

She steps off her soapbox, with a leap and a bound.

No longer the speaker, not making a sound.

The soapbox, it wobbles, left lonely and bare,

As she dances away with a twirl in the air.

Now you.

What’s your fave Dr.Seuss book and why?

(whispers) Are you meh about The Lorax as I am?