Bringing people together in a group and getting them to work together is never a very simple, straightforward practice. The main reason for this is that we all have different set of experience as well as a different set of values that we utilize when working. This is especially hard for business owners who wonder why their employees aren’t the same as they are.
If you have ever been or are currently in a leadership position or run a business, you know how exciting it can be. We want to get started and change the world. We’re smart, we work hard, we care deeply etc. Things get difficult for us when we start working on changing the world with our teams.
- We start to realize a few things in the team process:
- Not everybody is at the same level in their careers.
- Not everyone is as excited about the project as we are.
- We aren’t easily able to mold people in our image.
- Not everyone has the same work ethic.
- Not everyone shows up to work with the same level of preparation.
As a new leader or business owner, this is a tough concept for us to grasp. This idea of differences. We would like to think that because of where we are at that our way is the best and only way. Of course, it’s not.
The truth is there is really a lot of potential that resides in the differences that we all have.
This is one of the specific tenets of Soul Purpose. The fact that everyone values things differently and approaches work in a different way can be a good thing for your organization.
The question is, “how do we tap into this and make it work for our business?”
The first thing to do is to work on being more accepting of your team’s differences. It’s important to embrace the differences in your team as much as possible and in a manner that makes sense.
Once you are ready to embrace, take some time to get to know your people on a personal level and start understanding what it is that they value. When you understand their values better you are more able to work more effectively with them and understand what drives them.
Last, don’t be afraid to point on your team’s uniqueness and celebrate it publicly. The mission is what’s truly important to any organization. The journey to the mission can be done in any manner of ways provided that it is ethical and makes sense for the business.
What are you doing to celebrate your team and their individual values? How can you better come to the realization that your employees don’t and won’t view things in the same manner you do? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.