Page 12 - Kindness - No Forward

Silver Rule #1
The Rule of Difference

We must celebrate, not resent, different styles

“But the great Master said, “I see no best in kind, but in degree; I gave a
various gift to each, to charm, to strengthen, and to teach.’”
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

One of the most important concepts that a good communicator can
remember is that the world is blessed with different personality and
behavior types. What a boring place this would be if everyone were the
same.

My youngest son, Wilson, played center on his high school football team.
When he first went out for football years before, I wanted him to be a
quarterback. After all, the quarterback gets the glory, the recognition; the
headlines….they’re the most important player on the team!

Wrong.

Watching Wilson play all those years, I realized that a team won’t win with
eleven quarterbacks. It takes a mixture of different talents to have a
winning season: linemen, backs, receivers. A championship team realizes
the value of EVERY player on the team and they CELEBRATE their different
skills and styles.

And just as a team with eleven quarterbacks won’t win any football games,
or a team of nine pitchers won’t win in baseball, any team you’re involved
with, on the job or in life, where every personality and style is the same, is
just as ineffective. Not to mention much less fun!

Different Styles Bring Different Strengths

We must learn to celebrate people’s different styles instead of resenting
them and trying to make them be just like us.

Just because someone is slower to make a decision doesn’t mean that the
person doesn’t understand the issue. It may mean their style is to evaluate
things a little longer and little more closely. They may be the ones who
help “action heroes” make a better decision!

Similarly, there are times when a quick decision is vital to the success of a
project or endeavor. It is then that the decisive, forceful personality is
invaluable.