It’s interesting to observe different leadership styles. Some people lead using a well-defined and straightforward system of stated goals and enforceable expectations. Others lead through negotiation, empowerment, and subtle guidance. Still others lead by deliberately stepping back and letting others take a more vocal role. After all, not everyone can be at the helm for a team to function properly. And of course, there are those who lead through intimidation and threats. Part of the fun (among other things) of teamwork is watching the gradual definition of everyone’s unique working and leading style.
When I lived in Paris, I loved to sit in outdoor cafes and people-watch over coffee. It’s an intriguing exercise because the subjects are so unique. The petite man with the gray cashmere scarf, purple cufflinks, and a trimmed mustache—was he rushing off to close a deal? Meet his wife? Finish his novel? Stock up on fresh figs? Accept a top-secret assignment? And the graceful girl with the Pierre Hermé box of macarons in one hand and a baguette in the other—was she meeting friends for a picnic? Using macarons as a bribe? What was really in that baguette?
The intrigue comes from the knowledge that you will never actually meet these individuals, thus allowing for imagination, with a dash of whimsical, to run rampant.
On a team, this is not the case. As we learn more about each other, speculation and room for the imagination are replaced by confirmation of first impressions, surprise by the realization that half those impressions were completely off, and the gradual solidification of feelings of like or dislike, often followed by unconscious (or conscious) compartmentalization and categorization. Oops, sorry those words are so big!
The challenge of working together is not letting personal preferences hinder group progression. As a team, we can’t leave anyone behind nor can we instantaneously change anyone’s working style and personality. We can only try to embrace differences and highlight commonalities, leveraging each other’s strengths to move forward.
What is damaging to a team is when personal bias clouds professional judgment or when a heavy hand usurps reason and rationale. It’s easy to have the loudest voice in the room, but how that factors into the greater picture is a different story. Considering the fact that we’re all here to work towards a common goal without outside incentives, it’s easy to overstep the fragile boundaries of cooperation and democracy and deteriorate into tyranny. Melodramatic, huh? Just making sure you get your daily dose =)
When I lived in Paris, I loved to sit in outdoor cafes and people-watch over coffee. It’s an intriguing exercise because the subjects are so unique. The petite man with the gray cashmere scarf, purple cufflinks, and a trimmed mustache—was he rushing off to close a deal? Meet his wife? Finish his novel? Stock up on fresh figs? Accept a top-secret assignment? And the graceful girl with the Pierre Hermé box of macarons in one hand and a baguette in the other—was she meeting friends for a picnic? Using macarons as a bribe? What was really in that baguette?
The intrigue comes from the knowledge that you will never actually meet these individuals, thus allowing for imagination, with a dash of whimsical, to run rampant.
On a team, this is not the case. As we learn more about each other, speculation and room for the imagination are replaced by confirmation of first impressions, surprise by the realization that half those impressions were completely off, and the gradual solidification of feelings of like or dislike, often followed by unconscious (or conscious) compartmentalization and categorization. Oops, sorry those words are so big!
The challenge of working together is not letting personal preferences hinder group progression. As a team, we can’t leave anyone behind nor can we instantaneously change anyone’s working style and personality. We can only try to embrace differences and highlight commonalities, leveraging each other’s strengths to move forward.
What is damaging to a team is when personal bias clouds professional judgment or when a heavy hand usurps reason and rationale. It’s easy to have the loudest voice in the room, but how that factors into the greater picture is a different story. Considering the fact that we’re all here to work towards a common goal without outside incentives, it’s easy to overstep the fragile boundaries of cooperation and democracy and deteriorate into tyranny. Melodramatic, huh? Just making sure you get your daily dose =)
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