“You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may.”
~ Sam-I-Am (Dr. Seuss)
It’s summer, a season that invites us to set down the heavy leadership topics for a moment and play. So today, I’m taking my leadership lens to an unlikely source: The children’s book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
If you didn’t grow up with this rhyming book, here’s the premise. Sam-I-Am, a relentlessly cheerful (some might say annoying) character, spends the entire story trying to convince another unnamed character (let’s call him “The Resister”) to eat a plate of very questionable green eggs and ham. Despite the Resister’s refusal, Sam-I-Am, the original hustle culture in a hat, persists in offering the dish in a box, with a fox or on a boat with a goat, as well as other modes of transportation.
The moral, on the surface, is clear: be open-minded, step out of your comfort zone, and try new things because you might just like them—a fair enough sentiment. There’s truth in the idea that growth happens when we stretch ourselves. But my problem is how Sam goes about it.
This article was sparked while listening to Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast on How to Say No, where he and playwright Topher Payne gleefully re-imagined The Giving Tree with a healthier, more boundary-respecting ending. Payne’s specialty? Fixing broken children’s stories. For decades, I harboured resentment about Sam’s tactics, so it got me thinking… if Sam-I-Am wandered into Payne’s workshop, would the ending look different? And what leadership lessons, good, bad, and somewhere in between, can we find when we read Green Eggs and Ham through that lens? So here goes.
persuasion OVerdone
At first, Sam’s persistence could be read as enthusiasm. But as the pages turn, it starts to feel like a masterclass in over-persuasion. He doesn’t just invite The Resister to try the meal, he insists, repeats, and raises the stakes.
In leadership, enthusiasm is a strength until it tips into insistence. Push too hard and you risk replacing curiosity with defensiveness. Sam’s barrage of “Would you? Could you?” scenarios doesn’t create space for consideration; it creates pressure and resistance.
When you’re advocating for something you believe in, do you create room for others to decide, or do you wear them down until they give in?
Micromanagement in Rhyme
While seemingly well-intentioned, Sam’s approach is oddly controlling. He doesn’t trust The Resister to decide for himself. Instead, he tries to control the conditions, adding foxes, boxes, goats, trains and planes, as if rearranging the scenery will make the dish more palatable.
In the workplace, this is the leader who keeps “improving” your project by suggesting changes that don’t actually address the real objection. They confuse action with progress.
When might you change the scenery when you could be changing the conversation?
Respecting Boundaries (Or Not)
The Resister is, if nothing else, clear and consistent. “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I am.” It’s a firm no. But Sam ignores it.
Boundaries matter in leadership. People have valid reasons for saying no; reasons we may not understand yet. Pressing harder without acknowledging their stance can erode trust and build even more resistance.
Ironically, if Sam had respected the “no,” there’s a good chance The Resister might have been more open later. Research tells us that autonomy, not pressure, is what leads to real commitment.
When someone says no, do you honour it and get curious, or do you see it as a challenge to overcome?
The COmfort Zone Conundrum
Here’s where it gets tricky. In the end, The Resister tries the green eggs and ham and likes them. The intended takeaway: don’t dismiss new experiences, you might surprise yourself.
But I’ll admit it, I felt a bit betrayed. After all that boundary trampling, Sam gets rewarded. For me, the ending unintentionally reinforces that if you push long enough, you’ll get your way.
From a leadership perspective, this muddies the message. Yes, we want people to step out of their comfort zones. But the process matters. Encouragement works better when it’s built on trust and respect, not unrelenting coercion.
How do you encourage someone to stretch without making them feel cornered?
What Sam Could Have Done Differently
With a bit of leadership coaching, Sam could have achieved his objective with less resistance if he’d considered the following:
- Instead of jumping straight to “Would you?” and “Could you,” it’s likely Sam would have diffused resistance if he started with curiosity and asked, “What’s your hesitation?”
- Offer choice, not chase. What if Sam asked what conditions the Resistor needed to give it a try?
- Check your assumptions. Sam might share why the dish is worth trying instead of just assuming it is.
A Better Ending
Sam says, “I get it. You’re not ready for green eggs and ham. If you change your mind, I’ll save you a plate.”
The Resister thinks about other times he’s stepped out of his comfort level only to grow and learn, so a few days later, he decides to try the dish on his terms, and amazingly, he enjoys it. He credits Sam for planting the seed and appreciates that he listened, understood and allowed him to take his time.
The LEadership Takeaway
I know Green Eggs and Ham is a fun kids’ book that promotes open-mindedness and trying new things. But through a leadership lens, it’s also a cautionary tale:
- Influence without respect for boundaries demands compliance instead of inspiring commitment.
- Persistence without building trust and listening turns enthusiasm into pressure.
- Change without clarity and context is just noise: foxes and goats and boxes that don’t address the real issue.
As leaders, our job isn’t to force-feed green eggs and ham, metaphorical or otherwise. It’s to create the conditions where others feel safe enough to take a bite when they’re ready.
So, would you? Should you? Lead like Sam-I-Am? Or will you be the leader who knows when to push, when to pause, and when to simply appreciate that some people just don’t like their eggs green?
For more insights, read this article on Three Building Blocks to Help You Lead by Influence
