Recently my daughter dropped her year-old cat off with us while she visited friends in San Francisco. Her cat is small, black as midnight, fiercely independent and named Luna. After hours of roaming and exploring and digging and climbing, she touches in for a moment of domestic bliss– some petting, some food, maybe a quick cat-nap, and then she’s off again. I had forgotten that this is how some cats journey through their days.
Kimberly is our fifteen year old cat. Also black as midnight, huge green eyes, definitely not a small and petite thing and definitely not an independent kind of gal. Kimberly happily spends the entire day sleeping on any available surface, including my lap. She definitely never got the memo reminding her that any self respecting feline is aloof, solitary and finicky.
During her visit we kept Luna outside with access to a detached room for fear the cats would combust on contact. The mother in me worried about this little cat– would she be cold, would she be lonely? My daughter looked me in the eye and said “Mom, they’re not the same cat.”
Kimberly’s behavior changed overnight. She spent the entire five days of Luna’s visit alert, patrolling her territory and guarding our home. Instead of sleeping 18 hours a day, she sacked out for a mere twelve. She was more active and more energized. For a few heavenly days there was no large cat attempting to sit on my hands while I type. One element in her life had changed and Kimberly had tapped into part of her nature that had lain dormant for many years.
I was reminded of a couple of key pieces of managerial wisdom that I have learned watching effective leaders:
1.No two employees are the same and they need to be managed with a smart focus on what makes them tick individually. Take the time to understand what motivates and animates each person you are working with. Play to their strengths. To the degree possible, design each individual’s role to leverage what energizes him or her. Luna would be a deeply unhappy cat hanging out in my office all day. Kimberly will never be a night prowler.
2. Shake it up from time to time. It’s not the worst thing to create some disruption at work. Toss unexpected challenges and learning opportunities into the mix. Regularly find ways to take people out of their comfort zones because that’s always where the learning occurs.
Disruption theory — who knew cats could profit from it? And who among us ever leaves a warm lap willingly? What a great little story.