The Oscars are generally a rather self-indulgent program of the rich and famous congratulating each other. But there are always surprises and one such surprise was the acceptance speech of Graham Moore. He said in part: “When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I’m standing here, and so I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Yes, you do. I promise you do. Stay weird. Stay different.”
We are all teenagers at some point in our lives, and experience the feeling of not fitting in, not being the cool person, not being the smart one, not being the athlete, not being…who we wish we were. But some people suffer more than others as they move through the maturing years.
Our teams are made up of individuals. The Code says “I will respect the dignity of every person…” and “I will be a positive influence on the relationships on the team.” Being a leader means in part being the person who reaches out to those who are different or who don’t fit in as well and giving them the assurance that they are valued and important to you and to the team. Who is that person on your team? What can you do?
