💭 It’s easy to divide and tear apart. True leadership lies in uniting and building.
In a small, ambitious company, tensions brewed between two high-performing teams: marketing and sales. Misunderstandings grew, collaboration broke down, and what was once a thriving workplace became a silent battleground.
Then came Mike the newly appointed team leader. Unlike his predecessors, Mike didn’t take sides or stoke the fire of competition. Instead, he saw something else: potential in the chaos.
At his first joint team meeting, he brought out a long piece of fabric split down the middle… and a zipper.
“This,” he said, “is us right now disconnected. Leadership isn’t about walls. It’s about pulling the zipper… closing the gap… and becoming whole.”
That one act changed everything.
With candid dialogue, mutual goals, and a culture of respect, Mike transformed rivalry into collaboration. The teams not only started working together, they began thriving together.
📈 Revenue soared. Productivity climbed. Morale was at an all-time high.
👉🏽 Not because of one genius move but because of collective synergy.
💥 4 Powerful Takeaways for Leaders:
🔺 Inclusion over Isolation
True leaders don’t divide people into “us” and “them” they create a collective “we.” Everyone gets a seat at the table.
🔺 Collaboration over Competition
Success multiplies when teams complement, not compete. Great leaders foster interdependence, not silos.
🔺 Vision over Division
It’s easy to stoke conflict. Real leadership is aligning diverse minds toward shared purpose.
🔺 Healing over Splitting
The world has enough division. Leaders who unite leave behind legacies, not just results.
🔑 The Zipper Effect:
Great leaders aren’t those who dominate they’re those who connect. Who heal. Who build.
🧠 So ask yourself today:
Are you pulling the zipper… or leaving gaps that divide?
✍🏽 Written by: @Martin Kiprono
📸 Image Credit: SuccessPictures
#Leadership #Teamwork #TheZipperEffect #Unity #OrganizationalCulture #InclusionMatters #LeadWithPurpose #HRLeadership #PeopleFirst #LinkedInLeadership #Transformation
Absolutely brilliant analogy, Martin. The "zipper" image is such a powerful and memorable way to visualize what true leadership looks like—not forceful control, but intentional connection.
I’ve witnessed similar dynamics in my own experience—where siloed teams, each with incredible talent, struggled not because of a lack of skill, but because no one had yet created the shared space for mutual understanding and trust.
What stood out most here is that healing became part of the leadership strategy. That’s rare. And deeply needed. Leaders like Mike remind us that real transformation doesn’t begin with KPIs—it begins with people.
This post is more than a story. It’s a challenge and a roadmap.
Thank you for sharing this. Curious to hear from others:
What’s one small “zipper moment” you’ve witnessed or created that shifted team culture for the better?
Let’s keep this conversation going. We need more of these leadership reflections in our feeds