Strengths-based leadership transforms how high-performing teams innovate. In this conversation, award-winning educator and VP of Learning Development Maria Lawsley shares the "close looking" framework—a practice borrowed from art-making that shifts leadership from gap-finding to strength-spotting.

Discover how to build psychological safety, overcome imposter syndrome, and sustain leadership through startup intensity. Maria reveals why traditional leadership creates stress for high performers and struggling team members alike—and what to do instead.

Perfect for tech leaders, startup founders, L&D professionals, and anyone leading diverse teams through rapid change.

🍍 "That's me sitting on a pineapple."

A senior developer said this during a team workshop, holding up a LEGO model of a minifigure stuck on a spiky plant.

The room went silent. Then something incredible happened.

What started as one person's frustration became their team's secret weapon. "Sometimes you have to sit on a pineapple" transformed from a complaint into their rallying cry.

Sprint planning meetings changed forever. The project manager would walk in with an "invisible piece of fruit" and ask, "Who wants the pineapple?" Suddenly, everyone's hand shot up.

The impossible tasks that used to cause resentment? They became badges of honor.

This is what happens when teams create psychological safety through play. Research shows LEGO Serious Play workshops create lasting improvements in team cohesion that traditional team building can't match.

The most honest, grown-up conversations happen when we give ourselves permission to play.

Sometimes the breakthrough your team needs is hiding behind a LEGO brick.

What's your team's "pineapple"? 👇

#TeamDynamics #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #TeamBuilding #Innovation #WorkplaceCulture