From Academy Leadership Affiliate Carr Boyd
I recently attended a diversity program for fire service officers and was struck by the many issues of leadership that were raised. One in particular was repeatedly brought up by the participants and affirmed by the facilitator. I kept hearing that we as officers simply need to treat others the way we want to be treated to avoid conflict. As I pondered this statement, the so called “Golden Rule” of my childhood, it dawned on me that the participants and facilitator were missing a critical point. We are all hardwired differently. It is probably not productive for me to treat my colleagues the way I want to be treated because my colleagues likely think differently than me and have different expectations than me. As leaders within a large public sector organization, it is not about treating people the way we want to be treated, but treating people the way they want to be treated. Effective leaders must know themselves and their people well enough to communicate in many different ways if they expect to get the most out of their people.
