Erik Kincade

Earn Your Stripes Erik Kincade

Earn Your Stripes is a leadership book and children's book wrapped into one. The story focuses on a group of tigers at the Fairview Zoo. Sam, the leader of the tigers, is a super-striped tiger who has earned her stripes by consistently displaying positive behaviors and by being kind and helpful. Her goal is to help the semi-striped tigers earn their stripes as well. People come from all over to watch Sam and her team perform at the zoo. However, when Sam gets injured during a performance, Edgar, the only stripeless tiger in the zoo, has different plans for the team. Sam has to rally her team to win back the adoration of her fans. This book is inspired by the 10-80-10 leadership principle, and it is written in a way to show younger children that being kind, respectful, dependable, and hard working are qualities that allow individuals and teams to excel. Just like any organization has a top 10-percent, a middle 80-percent, and a bottom 10-percent, the Fairview Zoo has super-striped, semi-striped, and stripeless tigers that represent these categories. It is the goal of the top 10-percenters to bring as much of the middle 80-percent up to the top. Unfortunately, the bottom 10-percent can have the same influence in a negative way. Read along as Sam and her team try to bring prestige to the Fairview Zoo by earning a Blue Ribbon Zoo award. Sam must lead by example and encourage all of the tigers to do their part to earn their stripes and to work together to make the zoo the best that it can be.