Have you noticed how our passions determine what we do and how we respond.
Spurs’ fans will react violently to when talking about the Mavericks. Mavs’ fans (me) will get upset when others talk trash about the Mavs. Rockets’ fans react with general indifference and hatred that the NBA even has playoffs without them.
Astros’ fans hate the Cardinals. Red Sox’ fans hate the Yankees.
Mac’ fans hate Windows, and Microsoft’ fans hate Macs.
What causes the initial passion, and what causes the hatred of the opposing side? In all of the cases mentioned above, neither of the two parties are intrinsically better (except, of course, if you ask a fan of one of those entities) or worse. Right now, I would tell you that I simply like the Mavs better than the Suns because I’m a Mavericks’ fan. Now if you asked me why I’m a fan, I would reply, “Because I grew up in Dallas.” And we would all probably understand my reasons for being a fan.
But what about other passions in life? I’m a fan of computers and design, so most of my decisions and thoughts are grounded in those passions. I see everything in the world revolving around those two areas, and I choose facts to prove that my passions are universally helpful. But others have different passions: maybe it’s music, video, accounting, engineering, finance, or something else. All of the professions above are helpful and good, but I simply don’t see as much value in them as I do in my passions.
Of course, if these other professions disappeared, my life would change drastically, and I would realize how important these jobs are.
I was reminded of how easy it is to forget the importance of other roles by only seeing how important your job is. You minimize the effectiveness of others because you do not intuitively understand the passions that drive others in different roles. But the key to the success of an organization is when each person understands the importance of that particular job while comprehending how each job fits within the whole to accomplish the purpose of that company.
Problems arise when each group is segmented from the rest, leading to a myopia that makes working together very difficult. And this is where leadership comes in: a strong leader sets the vision and ensures that everyone sees the big picture and how the pieces fit together.