Will the judge drop the hammer? I suspect you missed this crime that happened a few years ago in a small New Hampshire town. There on a bright and sunny day two young thieves stole a canoe from inside a Walmart. Though hardly as valuable as an Ocean\u2019s Eleven<\/a> heist, it was just as clever.<\/p>\n The mastermind of this felony was a 15-year-old boy I\u2019ll call Jake. He and his friend wanted to go out on the river fishing, but they had no canoe. He and his friend noticed a brand-new canoe on display in Walmart and it was perfect. The only problem was it cost $550, money they did not have.<\/p>\n Photo by Andrew Montgomery<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cNo problem,\u201d said Jake to his friend, I have a plan.<\/p>\n Jake bought a Coke and made sure he got a receipt. He and his buddy then went back to the sporting goods department where Jake put the Coke receipt between his teeth and they picked-up the canoe. They then carried the canoe right out the front door of Walmart \u201cshowing\u201d the greeter at the front door a receipt between his teeth. The greeter nodded, and off they went.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t until later in the day that a store manager noticed the canoe was missing and there was no transaction recorded. A quick discussion with the greeter and a check of camera footage confirmed who the thieves were. When the local police saw the film, they recognized the boys and arrested them and the canoe was recovered, but only after a nice day of fishing.<\/p>\n Hammer or No Hammer<\/strong>. This true story is an example of some of the at-risk youth our company, Work Opportunities Unlimited<\/a>, has served over the years. Many are very bright and because of life\u2019s circumstances, their talents and ingenuity go undeveloped.<\/p>\n A NH District Courtroom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In his chambers before sentencing, the judge privately smiled and noted Jake\u2019s ingenuity to the prosecutor and our Youth Resource Specialist. The judge knew Jake needed a different form of punishment and should not be sent to a youth lock-up or jail facility, now called a youth development center. There, he knew, Jake would \u201cget educated\u201d by other youth on how to commit other crimes.<\/p>\n Instead of dropping the hammer on Jake, the judge \u201csentenced\u201d him to the Work Opportunities Unlimited program, which used \u201cwork\u201d as a modality to create purpose for youth and connect them to responsible adult role-models, often in the workplace. As part of his \u201csentence\u201d Jake had to comply with our community-based rules and objectives, or he would be sent to the lock-up facility in Manchester. While I do not know where Jake is today, he did comply and graduated from our program six months later. I like to think he has a job and is a hard-working citizen and is grateful this judge didn\u2019t use his hammer.<\/p>\n How Leaders Can Avoid Using the Hammer<\/strong>. Too often today some leaders choose to use a hammer to deal with people when better alternatives are available, but often out of sight in the moment.<\/p>\n In John Maxwell\u2019s book Winning with People<\/em><\/strong> he gives the reader some very useful tips for working with and leading others. While it was given to me by a colleague, Susan, many years ago, I still refer to it often because his tips are ageless. In one chapter called the Hammer Principle<\/em> Maxwell recommends using these four-Ts if you feel angry and want to drop the hammer \u2013<\/p>\n Maxwell reminds us \u2013<\/p>\n I think the judge in my story agreed with Maxwell\u2019s final thesis \u2013 Never Use a Hammer to Swat a Fly off Someone\u2019s Head<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/steveonleadership.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Oceans_Eleven_2001_Poster.jpg\")
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