Workplace Orchestra and the Sounds You Make
What is the sound that your workplace makes? Do you have a workplace orchestra or is it more like kicking a can down an old dirt road?
Once upon a time, in what seems like another lifetime, I sang in a small country church choir. There were only about five, six, or maybe eight of us at the most. We had a hymnal and we sang. We even had practice once in a while.
We were all different. We sounded different, looked different, and what we did was, well, probably a little different.
That is exactly what made it special.
I imagine if we all looked exactly the same, if we all sang with exactly the same pitch and the same tone, that our performance would not have had so much character.
Workplace Orchestra
Many hiring managers set out to hire for the best fit. They want to hire people with exactly the same values, the same beliefs and the same style.
One of the most common reasons people don’t get the job is not specifically about something they said, how they dressed or their age. It is because the hiring manager imagined a future with the person in it and they didn’t seem to fit.
What happens in your workplace is about a harmonious effort. At the same time, it is not about everyone being exactly the same.
Many things seem to work in life because they fit.
Fitting in doesn’t mean identical. It means being a part of the puzzle.
The orchestra would be pretty boring without the cello, the clarinet, and a bass drum.
Is there a cello in your workplace? A clarinet, and a bass drum?
Differences are what make the orchestra work.
What sound does your workplace make?
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
