The Shoe Needs to Fit
by Miki Saxon
People, especially those in management/leadership roles, have advisors, mentors and other people they consult; they read blogs, attend seminars, access company training and all these sources constantly inundate them with management advice.
Everybody listens, especially when the technique is coupled with a brand name, usually a CEO.
And that’s OK as long as you remember that you are not a copy of the person giving the advice.
Their advice is a result of their MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) as formed by their upbringing and their experiences.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
You have different MAP, different upbringing and different experiences, so to use what you learn to your best advantage you need to know you.
Duff Goldman, who parleyed his passion for cake into a multimillion dollar business, including a show on the food channel and celebrity status, knows he is fallible, but has turned that fallibility into an asset.
“I kind of know what works, and I kind of know what doesn’t work. I have a good idea for how to make money and how to hold onto it — how to hopefully not make too many mistakes. But I know I’m going to make mistakes. My confidence comes from the fact that I’m very comfortable with being nervous. I’m very comfortable with my fear, because my fear comes from a very real place. It comes from a place that will make me perform above and beyond what I think I’m capable of doing.”
Duff Goldman knows himself.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
Along with the personal aspect of advice is the cultural one, both local and company.
Just as you don’t manage in China as you do in the US as you do in Russia you don’t manage in Groupon as you do in Apple as you do in Intel.
Management ranks (and divorce courts) are littered with those who tried to lever themselves into situations that didn’t fit or force everyone else into their worldview.
If the shoe doesn’t fit you get blisters and bunions; if the fit is bad enough you end up lame.
The take away is simple.
If the shoe fits, wear it; if it doesn’t fit, adjust it; if it isn’t adjustable, find shoes that fit.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ganymedes1985/3749273976/
