We all have opinions. We are comfortable with our own. In fact sometimes some people start to think that what they think is the only right way. It’s the smart way to view things. Then they wonder why anyone would think differently. That’s dangerous.
I once had a boss who was one that I often use to give examples of how NOT to do things. If he wrote a book, it might be called “Don’t Let This Happen to You”. He of often went in directions that many of us could not understand.
One day he was fuming about someone who did something that was completely normal— but it wasn’t how HE would have done it.
After it happened, I went in my office because I know he would call me to come in and chat about this person. In a few minutes he called me, as well as another manager. We sat down and waited for him to cool down.
He was looking out the window and clenching his jaws. He turned to both of us and said: “Why can’t everyone be like me?”
I’m so glad he didn’t really want an answer. The other manager and I both looked at each other and later discussed that a world with everyone like him would be a terrible place.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
- Do you see your opinions as just one way of looking at things?
- Do you really listen when someone else is expressing an opinion that is not like yours?
- As a leader, do you make decisions that are solid and done objectively so that you consider how everyone might feel?
- Are the decisions you make fair to all concerned or are they always made to give yourself an advantage
