My first boss in libraries told me how important it was to have a team that had varied backgrounds and skill sets.
“Everybody thinks it would be better to have a bunch of underlings who were just like them but that’s the worst thing you could have.”
(Of course there was some irony that two of his librarians were reservists in the military so very deferential to authority by training and the other was from a cultural background that is stereotyped for being deferential and quiet.)
Anyhow, it’s the old “Team of Rivals” thing – much harder for a manager/supervisor but much better for the overall organization in the long run.
And honestly, “Rivals” isn’t even a great word but “Team of Complementary Pieces” doesn’t have the same ring! 😉
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