Tuesday, August 8, 2023

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Good working relationships are often with people who have different gifts and interests than we have

By André van Heerden, Communications Director

I love that people are created differently and that difference extends not only to abilities and weaknesses, but also to tastes and preferences.

When I go out to dinner, I like that a group of people will order different things. Part of the reason is the possibility of trying each other’s food. It’s like getting multiple meals instead of just one. Often there’s something that most of us like, but sometimes there’s a meal that only one person enjoys. Some love seafood, others don’t. Some like raisins in butter tarts, others vehemently don’t. For some reason, my son loves bran muffins.

I consider myself fortunate that I like most foods and can often switch plates with someone if they’d prefer what I have rather than what they’ve ordered.

Interestingly, the same sort of preferences exist when it comes to tasks and work. My wife and I have found a great balance with household chores—I like doing the dishes and she likes folding laundry. Conversely, neither of us would like the other’s chore. When I’ve taken a stab at folding laundry, no one wants me to do it ever again.

The ancient philosopher Aristotle noted that, “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” American soccer player Mia Hamm said, “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.”

At CLAC, I work with a team that includes editors, designers, printers, and web and marketing specialists. During the summer we sometimes have to cover for each other’s vacations. Even within a creative team of communicators with related roles, there are tasks that some love and excel at, and other tasks that we can’t wait for the other person to return to handle.

The Persian poet Rumi wrote, “Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Similarly, the Bible teaches that “If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body?” 1 Cor. 12: 17-19.

Many of us like to be so self-sufficient that we don’t like to ask for help or to work collaboratively with others. But while we may have many skills, others may have particular strengths and passions that we don’t. Good working relationships are often with people who have different gifts and interests than we have. And while we may feel like we’re losing some control, we don’t want to miss out on working with someone who truly loves what they do.

Brazilian lyricist and author Paulo Coelho wrote, “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”

So be on the lookout for someone eager to share your workload. Meanwhile, I’ll happily continue to give my bran muffins away.

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