The Great, the necessary & the values that differentiate them

One thing I feel extremely grateful for is the people I’ve worked with.

I’ve worked for great people, I’ve had amazing peers & some of those I’ve had a chance to lead were nothing short of extraordinary. I’ve also had fantastic clients.

Those you don’t love sometimes teach you the most – to a limit! Here are the three characteristics of those necessary people that “taught” me.

The incompetent – let’s be honest, given where I’ve worked none of them were likely incompetent but they could have fooled me. Generally we just didn’t share values and I interpreted that as their lacking. These ones really, really challenge you to find the lesson.

The disconnected – I’ve met a few over the years who were clearly intelligent yet did not value relationships or connection. It stumped their growth overall & certainly my ability to see their potential. These ones really confuse me because they could go from good to great with such minor tweaks in client service or business partnering but instead they dwell in their blind spots.

The psychopaths – they can also be brilliant (nearly always are in fact) & best we leave it to the psychologists to diagnose but those that are the smartest guys in the room can only be tolerated for so long before the narcism becomes toxic. These ones make me worry.

Over nearly 20 years there have been few of these people. Overall I’ve made the best of friends from those I met through work. I’ve had bosses become clients. I’ve had clients become bosses. I’ve had so many epic teams it’s really astonishing. I’ve been surrounded by greatness.

I am very thankful for the people I’ve worked with. The best ones I hope to have a chance again. My favourites value:

Communication

Courage

Curiosity

Candor

Collaboration