Diversity has always been essential to the culture and success of any organization. Not only does it promote difference and authenticity amongst its employees, but it allows for greater collaboration between unique minds, experiences, and values. Unfortunately, however, our organizations and their relative leadership teams aren’t always representative of the world we live in and for that reason, they may remain stagnant and struggle for growth.
Are you annoyed by co-workers who are not as passionate as you are about your job? Who, by your standards, don’t care as much as you do about their jobs? Oh yes! Those of use who are passionate about what we do have a different energy and vibe; it overflows from us. But there aren’t too many of us who come to work ready to make a dent in the universe.
As an employee, you can notice the difference when working for a manager that works for you; not the other way around. We’ve all had managers that seemed to believe that being authoritative is the way to lead people; it isn’t. It’s safe to say that we don’t remember these people fondly, nor do we care to mention the things we learned or didn’t learn from them.
in Innovation
Innovation is hard. Really hard. So hard that true innovation is rare. Most of what we see as innovative is increments, improvements, on existing products and services. With that said, it’s really easy to sabotage your innovation efforts when you don’t understand what you’re getting yourself into.
This is a post I’m writing for my friend Jesus, who’s taking on a leadership challenge…
To thrive in chaos and adapt to change requires the mental preparedness to modify one’s thoughts at a moment’s notice. As an entrepreneur, I’m well adapted to chaos. I actually want it. Most people don’t. They love that they have a routine and structured day. Any chaos drives them crazy. It drains their energy. But life is chaotic. So how do you deal with chaos?
I recently witnessed a manager use fear as motivator with someone who’d rather not have a lot of responsibility on his hands. Frankly, this is the wrong person to challenge. But the bigger problem is this manager, and every other higher up in this company, uses fear to motivate people all the time!
Rebels, misfits, renegades, heretics or troublemakers whatever you call them, are commonly seen as difficult to work with. Why? Because their strengths (driven, talented, smart and impatient in achieving outcomes) can sometimes make them come across as assholes and go rogue.