A Children’s Story Inspired by a Leadership Insight
- Nov 13, 2025
- 2 min read
During a short summer break spent playing with his nephews, Synthosys co-founder Dr Tarek Jomaa found inspiration in an unexpected moment that would later become a children’s book.
Watching how naturally children experience frustration, curiosity, and discovery reminded him of something he often sees in boardrooms and coaching sessions with senior leaders: many of us try to fix the world before learning to understand ourselves.
This reflection on leadership Insight became the foundation for Just a Poo on a Hat, a playful and thoughtful story written for children aged 5 to 7, illustrated by Elisa Nocent.
The story follows Walter, whose beloved blue hat becomes the target of an unfortunate pigeon accident. Determined to solve the problem once and for all, Walter invents increasingly elaborate solutions to keep the world tidy — even creating clever gadgets for pigeons. But when his plans spiral out of control, he discovers something far more important than fixing the outside world.
Through humour and imagination, the story gently introduces children to a lesson many adults learn much later: understanding our emotions and reactions is often the first step before trying to change what surrounds us.
For Tarek, this message has never been more relevant. In a rapidly changing world shaped by technology and artificial intelligence, tomorrow’s leaders will need more than knowledge — they will need self-awareness, curiosity, and the ability to reflect on their own feelings and actions.
What began as a light-hearted moment during a family holiday became a small project with a meaningful purpose: helping children start that journey of self-understanding early.
Takeaway: Before we try to fix the world around us, we must first learn to understand what is happening inside us.
👉 Just a Poo on a Hat is available on Amazon in Kindle and print formats:
