One of the challenges every leader will face is being able to relate to the great variety of people in any organization. A common story of failure in organizations revolves around a leader who isn’t able to connect to the people of the organization.
As a leader you need to be able to connect with people no matter their race, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, life style, or other features. Connections aren’t something you can develop overnight. You need to develop an understanding of how different people think and act through a lifetime of friendships with people who come from different backgrounds than you have.
Here’s how you can create an understanding of people with different backgrounds:
- Develop a list of backgrounds you want to get to know better. For example, if you come from an urban background, start developing friends from rural backgrounds.
- Share trips home with friends who have different backgrounds than you. You can learn a lot about different backgrounds by travelling with them and spending time in their homes.
- Conduct “interviews” with people from different backgrounds to find out what they value and what turns them off. Develop the discipline to write down what you hear. Your written notes can be invaluable to you in the future in connecting to people with backgrounds.
- Join organizations which are popular with people from the backgrounds you want to understand. This may be uncomfortable at first, but you will quickly find yourself learning a lot from the experience.
- Develop a chameleon persona. A chameleon is a lizard which can change colors to match the surrounding. A chameleon persona is someone who can adapt to a wide variety of people. You develop this persona by understanding others and you connect with them by having an extended experience with them. For example, leaders can be effective in a meeting on Wall Street, and the next day be playing softball with construction worker friends.
Leaders are effective when others remark: “He/She is one of us.” When your corporate bio is written, make it relatable to everyone in your organization. Stressing your pedigree is less important than sharing your personal story that everyone can appreciate.
