Every year during our intern hiring process, there’s one moment I look forward to more than anything else. We call it the Children’s Puzzle Challenge (I know, super original…our EVP of Marketing is a genius). And no… it’s not what you’d expect.
The setup
We take three puzzles designed for toddlers. Big pieces. Bright colors. Thick wood pieces. Then we mix all the pieces together into one pile. We bring in a group of candidates, hand them the three puzzle boards, and give them one simple instruction: “You have four minutes. Complete all three puzzles.”
That’s it. No roles. No rules. No direction. Just…go.
Then we sit back and watch
Our leadership team doesn’t say a word. We step back. We observe. We take notes. And almost immediately, the room comes alive. What happens over the next four minutes is far more revealing than anything we could ask in an interview. Because you can prepare for questions. You can rehearse answers. But you can’t fake how you show up when things are unclear.
What shows up (every time)
Without fail, leaders emerge. Someone naturally steps in and starts organizing:
“Let’s find the edge pieces.”
“Put all the blue pieces over here.”
“You take this one, I’ll take that one.”
They don’t wait to be told what to do. They just start moving things forward. At the same time, you see a wide range of responses. Some people hang back and wait for direction. Some jump in but struggle to collaborate. Some clearly have ideas but never voice them. Others quietly bring order without needing recognition.
And then there are the few who see it differently. They can look at one piece and begin to understand the whole picture. That’s vision.
Why it matters
Because this isn’t about puzzles. It’s about how people show up when there’s ambiguity, pressure, and no clear path forward. Which, if we’re being honest…is most of life.
There’s no instruction manual for leadership. No step-by-step guide for business. No perfect roadmap for decision-making. You just get the pieces.
The lesson
You can’t fake this. Resumes don’t show it. Interviews don’t always reveal it. But pressure does. In just a few minutes, you start to see:
- Who takes ownership
- Who communicates clearly
- Who brings people together
- Who waits to be told what to do
And those patterns tend to carry over.
Takeaway
Give people four minutes and a messy puzzle…and you’ll see who they really are.
Because in life, you don’t get instructions either. You just get the pieces.
What you do next matters.
