Appreciating the value of misfits
Jerry Colonna hits the nail on the head with his Diversity Rules manifesto on changethis.com. Diversity goes beyond race, religion, age, and ethnicity—it also means a diversity of personality types and styles.
It’s all too common for managers to hire people who are “like them,” and to encourage certain types of thinking while discouraging those who think differently to, well, think differently. Sure, it’s more comfortable when everyone’s on the same page, but you lose the benefit of hearing another point of view—especially important for those in the meetings and hospitality business, whose clients can, and often are, Martians to your organization’s Venusians.
And it’s a great reminder to look behind the behaviors of coworkers, clients, attendees, and others we deal with in the workplace and without to see what the real story is—and we each do have a story worth hearing that goes far beyond our workplace roles.
To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.
Related Topics: Uncategorized
