Lego female scientist kist – Photo credit: thegadgeteer.com

My house is filled with Lego pieces. Anyone who’s ever entered our sweet, noisy abode had tripped up at least once on the d… things, or has been left with a stinging reminder of their sharp edges somewhere between their right and left buttocks. Now it may have something to do with the fact that there are little people under 5 currently residing with us, but I may have to get back to you on that…

Truth is, nagging parenting blame aside, I do enjoy the process of turning weird-looking little pieces into things. I wrote earlier about how cartoons and child’s play are great for (if not essential to) to your career. And so are Legos, and the whole mentality that goes with it:

1. Your career is a giant bag of Lego pieces, and you are the builder! Legos help children develop a Maker mentality.After all, what else could you do with a bunch of scattered pieces devoid of any apparent link or connection? Our Vision, big degrees, experience, networks, street smarts, are but a few of the pieces we often fail to assemble to get the careers we want! My 2-year old will tell you that much…

2. Your career is not based on your gender! Legos now put girls and women in their rightful places: remember then-7-year-old Charlotte Benjamin, who wrote a plea to Lego pointing out that “There are more Lego boy people and barely any Lego girls.” And remember how Lego came out with the first female scientist kist a few months thereafter. Well, in the midst of all the brouhaha about gender parity and equal pay for equal work, this young lady taught us all, sometimes, all we need is a piece of Lego with lipstick on…

3. Your career is a giant Lego-in-process! Whether you’re building it up, tearing it down, or transitioning from one career to another, your career is a constant work-in-progress! My daughter is always building and re-building the same castle over and over again. More crooked walls here, take out the door there (who needs doors), wheels here (are mobile homes on the rise?). Any kid will tell you you can’t sleep on your Lego laurels, lest the competition next door crushes you with their flying, doorless castles! The same goes for your career, you snooze, you lose!

So really, as the CEO of your career, next time you’re making your annual forecast, please save some room in the budget for some serious Lego investments…And when in doubt, please allow me to send over my two personal in-house Lego experts, aka my kids…

The Corporate Sis.