Complementary Colors

OpEd from the desk of Transporter Editor Reed Hollinshead:

You may have thought the headline was the incorrect spelling, that I really meant “complimentary.” Actually, it is correct…and that’s kind of the point – that things are not as they first appear. Sometimes items you may not think go together actually do, and work better as a team than they do individually.

Red and green are both bold and vibrant. Individually they are both striking. But together they are at their best. Orange and blue are like that, too.

We each have individual strengths. We each have weaknesses. We are able to ascend highest when we realize that just because Joe and Bob or Jane and Shelly are vastly different people, that fact alone doesn’t make one inherently superior to the other. 

In fact, we often need that counterpoint in order to make a whole. If we only rely on those with the exact same strengths as us, the input will be lacking, the point of view too narrow, and the result will often be flawed. But It's a blind spot we can avoid.

The point is not only to play to your strengths, but to welcome the strengths of others. Especially if their strength is your weakness. 

Try this simple exercise: write your name five times with your dominant hand. Easy peasy, right?! Now do it with your non-dominant hand. Not so easy.

The lesson is that not allowing a person to play to their strengths and forcing a square peg into a round hole is really counterproductive. Imagine how much productivity would suffer if everyone was forced to lead with their non-dominant hand, leg or whatever. Customer service would suffer. Our work would suffer. Chances are we would not be able to keep our jobs for very long.  
 
My strength may be your weakness; my weakness may be your strength. We both have value.

Leadership qualities are valuable, but so too are foot soldiers. You need one to have the vision, the other to carry it out. History shows that one without the other does not work.

You need strategic thinkers, but often those types fall prey to paralysis by analysis. Others may just want to jump in with both feet, but they may not look first for the dangers. Still others are relational, and thrive on people, not processes or products. All are equally valuable. One is no better than the other.

Not better or worse – just different. 

Published 11-09-18