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Mr. Ali Al-Aradi is a Human Resource (HR), Learning Development (LD) & Management lecturer and writer, based in the Kingdom of Bahrain.[/symple_box]
One of the most challenging things that managers are facing in nowadays diverse workplace-culture organizations is to understand their employees, ones from different nationalities, religions, ages, and genders, with all of them working in one department and expected to achieve one goal.
One of the leadership skills required here is to understand the team members – what are their level, thinking patterns and talents. Many management schools here emphasize that you need to put yourself in other’s shoes to understand what is the rationale behind their thinking, feelings and behaviors. But actually, would you like to walk in someone else’s shoes in order to understand them? Why and what they do? Can you really understand others this easy? For example, having a diversified team, you will really put efforts to understand the various characteristics to become able to work harmoniously and be motivated in achieving the department’s goals, and despite the huge effort sometimes it just would not work. Instead of putting so much efforts in understanding others, you must begin understanding your own self before you can put yourself in other people’s shoes.
Before you look to recognize your team members’ personality, you must learn how to understand the reasons behind your thinking, feeling and behaviors first, understanding yourself and walking in your own shoes. By realizing your inner power, why are you in this organization; what you can do for your team’s development, and where you can take them, only then you will be able to understand the others.
