Gloves have immense symbolism. When a boxer puts his gloves on and enters the ring, he is ready for battle. They become his weapons. They also become his shield. Putting on his gloves indicate that he is ready to fight to the death.
But once he leaves the ring, the gloves should come off. He’s no longer in warrior mode; he can be the peaceful husband, father, or lover that he normally is.
However, gloves become destructive when he believes they are part of his identity. He continues to “wear” them outside of the ring. He comes home from a long day and he picks a fight with his wife. Or he fights with his inner demons by turning to alcohol. Or he starts fighting with his colleagues during his day job and subsequently gets fired by his manager.
A better way to handle the situation is: leave the gloves at the door. You don’t have to carry your gloves with you everywhere you go. They are simply one tool that helps you accomplish the job. You are not your gloves.
Surprisingly, it’s not just boxer who wear gloves. We all bring our gloves in the workplace as well. In fact, much of our language around leadership draws on this warrior mentality. We will “hit our targets”, “beat the competition” and “challenge the status quo”. Everyday it seems that leaders are in a fight to the death to win. And if it’s a fight, then we better bring our gloves to stay alive.
But, why are we bringing our gloves to work with our team? Wouldn’t having the gloves at work increase your likelihood to start swinging at someone? Wouldn’t the gloves encourage you to attack instead of collaborating? Wouldn’t you want to show who’s boss instead of serving your team?
Gloves are powerful symbols. But they don’t belong at work with your team.
You can leave them at the door.
A New Source Code 