Friday, March 20, 2009

Perception Versus Rejection

In our professional careers, we come across many different types of individuals with a wide ranging number of personalities. Most of us will find that we gravitate towards some and away from others. It is only natural and human that you will ultimately want to spend more time with certain individuals. Unfortunately this is not always the best mix for success in business. Even the individuals with whom you may not get along (at any level) have the opportunity to contribute value in the form of good ideas if you keep an open mind. Make sure you do not automatically discount the ideas of individuals for whom you may not be fond just because of your own personal perception of that individual. Even though they are not someone that you would enjoy spending time with away from the office does not mean that their ideas and ability to contribute are any less. In fact, this interaction can sometimes provide good balance for you when making key decisions.

I am not saying that there is great value in always being a contrarian or to seek out those who always tend to disagree with you. There does after all need to be some form of "team fit" for an individual to be a successful part of the team. Just be careful not to discount a good idea because of the individual who came up with it in the first place.

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