One of the cutest commercials out there is a Meow Mix trailer featuring bad-acting cats in need of a good meal. Included in the promotion are cats with apparent personality traits of a troublemaker, instigator, and a snoop. Each one acts out impulses until getting satisfied with a tasty meal.
Of course, I was amused like most people to watch their shenanigans. Yet, I had to pause and consider the irony of an underlying message. How often do we laugh only to realize later that we have to understand the personalities of those we lead and those around us?
I’m not suggesting that we all begin some psycho-babble and personality assessments of those we work with. But, I am recommending that we as leaders must pause to consider our own personality and the perspectives of those around us.
By taking pause and noticing the repetitive behaviors of those in your realm, you will become an even more successful as a leader. In other words, you just might have a better understanding about those you expect to follow you. Can you imagine how prepared you would be taking time to understand the self-aggrandizing motives of an instigator rather than getting upset about it?
Dealing with personalities different than your own will afford an opportunity to find shared interests. In this way, you can learn to appreciate others and explore ways to collaborate. I know this helped me with building teams, alliances, and fostering contentious relationships.
If for a moment we could all take stock of ourselves and those around us then maybe we might better off in the long run as leaders. Scoping out personality and philosophical differences might just save us all from being featured in the next spoof television commercial.
-Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
