It is not a secret among horse owners that the painted ones are well quirky. You see they are bred for color while others are bred for speed and to work. The paints or Pinto’s are bred to be pretty and they are! They are also a bit odd!
As leaders we all have that one person on our team who is a little different and we often get frustrated with them because they don’t fit into our mold. I had someone on my team once who would not work past 5. He felt that this was not part of his job, I work in an industry where this is kind of expected. I had another person who really only excelled in jobs that were very complex. At first I struggled to led these 2, because well they were quirky!
I learned that I had to motivate them, I had to work with their own specific ideas and once I was able to do that I had 2 great employees! Just like with my horse (who is also a paint) I have to learn what makes him tick. You see if Keno is trying to bite me when I first take him into the arena I should not ride him that day. He’s going to be a brat (I wouldn’t ever call a person that but my horse has that down to a science)! What I do know is that on these days we do alot of ground work and I read his body language. He might just be telling me that I need to leave him alone to do his own thing.
As leaders we can’t always leave our employees alone, however we can learn that in some situations letting them do their own thing can be the best for everyone! It’s alot like learning what battles you are willing to take on. Some days you are going to have to ask the person to stay late or work on something that simply isn’t that fun! However if you spend every day challenging this person, even when it isn’t needed you are going to frustrate both of you and you are going to end up with an employee who resents you!
Learning what works and what doesn’t is going to make you both successful.
This week, figure out what quirks each of your employees have (We all have them) and figure out who you can take those quirks and make them successful WITH them! Just like I’ll be listening to Keno and if he’s nippy then we’ll be working on our love for corners (Read hate) and maybe just letting him run around with his buddy!
Happy Quirky Leading everyone!
Leadership Simplified 