Author: Mike Urgo
Disclaimer: I am going to do my best to hit as many demographics as possible with this episode, and if an example I start to use doesn’t resonate with you, hang tight. I am hoping to include one that will.
Let’s start off strong and appeal to anyone who was online anywhere in 2015. Do you remember the Blue / Gold Dress that divided everyone globally? What did you see? Blue? Gold? Or, were you like me and wondered why everyone cared so much?
It’s something that has been happening I am assuming since the dawn of time. People love to choose a side. As a kid I was always torn. You’re constantly breaded with questions:
What’s your favorite color?
Who’s your favorite cartoon character?
What’s your favorite food?
Who’s your favorite athlete?
Who knows how young I was, but distinctly remember thinking:
Well, I like blue, because Leonardo is cool, but I also like Donatello and the Vikings, so I guess I like purple too. Oh, shoot. I am also a Devils fan, so red has to be in there. Dang it. Orioles? Is Orange my favorite color?
Then I remembered:
Only Siths deal in absolutes. (Now I have hit all the Star Wars nerds)
We live in such a connected world now, it seems that everything drives people to think in absolutes.
Are you red or blue?
Return to office or work from home?
Sheetz or Wawa
Cloud or on prem
Apple or Android
Pro or against Artificial Intelligence
I have been working with so many customers lately that feel cornered by many of these questions. My professional coaching clients find it hard to navigate the social pressures and emotions in the workplace. With so much going on in the world, plus the stress of today’s job market and strapped internal resources, it’s no wonder emotions are running high and patience low. For the corporate customers, there is so much fear of being left behind technologically with the innovations coming out at lightning speed.
I love math.
Math is great, because, until you get into the super nerd stuff, there’s only one answer. And there’s usually a specific method to arrive at said answer. But I also love people. As a sociology major, I enjoy observing how people think, how they interact. The fact that we can all be the same and yet so different is very cool. Even something as simple as taste. We all are made up the same way, yet I think oatmeal raisin cookies are far superior to chocolate chip cookies.
Yes, it’s true.
Triggered yet?
That’s where I end up with so many technology and business leaders, no matter what the topic. They are looking for the right answer or solution. The challenge is, there isn’t one. Partly because in every job, you’re dealing with people. Internal employees, customers, staffing agencies, consultants (guilty), resellers, catering, the list goes on and on. This is th root cause of analysis paralysis. Every time I have worked on improving a process or designing a solution would hear feedback like:
Oh, well you know Sharon doesn’t like doing it like that.
Man, Bob really doesn’t know how to use that system.
This could be confusing to Randy.
There is no way the executives will do this.
There is nothing more frustrating.
Because the truth is: you can make the most perfect process in the world and there will be people who screw it up, hate it for no reason, refuse to conform, and just be downright difficult. Anyone who works in Change Management will confirm it. There’s no perfect answer.
So, my plea is that if you are still reading this, stop thinking in absolutes and start thinking about the possibilities. Think outside the box, brainstorm with no rules or judgements. Don’t blindly follow the divisive crowd. Usually, the answer isn’t like math. There’s going to be more than one answer and it’s going to be more complicated than people try and make it out to be.
It’s ok to have more than one favorite color. It’s ok to like the bread for subs at Wawa more than Sheetz but recognize that Sheetz 'selection of fried made to order food is superior to Wawa
(If you disagree, you are actually wrong and should forget this episode and reevaluate your life).
All joking aside, these episodes are geared to those trying to be the best leaders they can be. It’s my belief that great leaders don’t deal in absolutes. Great leaders look at things from multiple perspectives. They also respect other perspectives and decisions with grace and dignity. Just like how people will never agree whether the dress was gold or blue, or if the sound said “brain needle” or “brainstorm” or, which is the best starter Pokémon (now I should have hit most demos). It’s important to respect it, even if you can’t comprehend why someone could possibly enjoy watching the Hallmark channel, I mean. Seriously.
So, whether you are deciding whether it’s better to use agile or waterfall or which is your favorite season (the answer should be fall), remember it’s rare there must be one absolute answer. Rather, think from multiple perspectives and consider hybrid or flexible solutions to empower people. I always tell my team that there should always been freedom in the framework. We never want our people blindly following a script, don’t take critical thinking out of it.
Thanks for reading, I would love to hear what you think in the comments.
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