Leadership - A discussion of traits, characteristics, and current news of leaders.

I'm Not You!

We covered this back in Principle #1. If you believe that principle, then #11 should work for you. You have to treat individuals individually.   

 I don’t know about you, but it’s nearly impossible for me to buy a suit “off the rack.” My jacket size is a hair under 46 Short and pants around a 36 inch waist with an 30 inch inseam. That’s not a common size. Now I have two choices. I could work hard to change my body type – which would not be easy but probably a good thing with diet and exercise, OR, I could have the larger suit off the rack tailored. Right now, that’s a more attractive choice. When it’s finished, the suit works pretty well – not too tight, not too loose.   

 Motivating and dealing with your people is the same way. How could you possibly use a “one size fits all” approach successfully? The beauty of studying organizational and human behavior is the diversity! It’s a field that you’ll never master – how could you? It always changes and you never know what kinds of people will enter your life (or your department.)  

 There is a benefit to this kind of diversity though. Think about how different people then view a problem differently. The solutions you can’t fathom might be easy for someone with a different “root system.” Your challenge will be to listen and ask good question. The solutions to your biggest problems might be right in your midst. Tune in and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!