"That's only human!" How often have you heard this blanket absolution? Especially when vanity produces poor results. It seems as if all mistakes are forgivable, no matter how big they are or what caused them. It's paradoxical: leader tasks in the belief in a person's strengths and in order to promote them. Then they tolerate their failures because people are generally weak and "just the way they are"? Which view of human nature is correct?
What is lazy about this paradox is the narrow-minded thinking on which it is based. In one moment, in one context, we perceive people as "strong," and in another as "weak." A giant at the board meeting, a dwarf as a reliable spouse. Or when some leader lament: "My employees cause so many problems!" Can that be true? What are employees, indeed what are people in general—at work, in clubs, in families, in partnerships, and in circles of friends? Are they more the cause or the solution to your problems?
Over-idealization or blanket condemnation
You are probably giving an impulsive answer—depending on your mood or how you feel today, your recent experiences, or your personal history. You are reacting to your unfiltered perception, to what you "see." Yes, that is very human. Our brain simply loves it, even though the world is much more complex. But as practical as this neuro-economy measure is, it is also dangerous. It leads either to the over-idealization of people or to blanket condemnation—good or bad, nothing in between. Konrad Adenauer called for accepting reality: "Take people as they are. There are no others." Mind you: "... as they ARE"—not as we would like them to be. Let's do a differentiated reality check.
The question is: How can we broaden our horizons to avoid this trap of simplification? The answer: By considering at least two perspectives. Don't just ask "What do I see?", but also "Where am I and others looking at the situation from right now?" A glass of water in the Gobi Desert has a different effect than if you have just been rescued from drowning by the DLRG (German Life Saving Association). This exercise is very eye-opening. Learn to understand people's arguments and perspectives. When you are involved in a conflict, listen not only to the other person's accusations, but also to where they are coming from. This creates clarity. And in the stressful day-to-day life of a manager, that means better decisions.
The strongest angle
Jack Welch was the long-time CEO of General Electric. He was very successful, but also very controversial. In 1999, he was named "Manager of the Century" by Fortune magazine. He describes the most important characteristic of a leader as the "reality principle" – the ability to see the world as it really is, not as one would like it to be. Peter Drucker called this "intellectual honesty." Both are concerned with the struggle to recognize reality. Successfully achieved, it usually leads to the strongest perspective for effective decisions.
So: Are humans naturally strong or weak, good or bad? You already know the answer: they are both. Of course, every person has different predispositions. Everyone has truth and lies, strengths and weaknesses, good and bad qualities. But as true as this is, it is also difficult to tolerate this "many sides of humanity" in ourselves and others. And then to promote what distinguishes leadership: clarity, honesty, integrity, respect, and responsibility. The more we discover these strengths in ourselves, the better we can pass them on to others. It's a huge, lifelong task. One with so much meaning that it can even be called the meaning of life.
That's why you're not really happy.
Why success and fulfillment have nothing to do with each other.
Image source: ©skalekar1992 Pixabay
