One of my mentors, Dr. Viet Nguyen, once said: "People are born
different. One may be like a hammer, another like a scissors. Don't use
a hammer to cut paper then blame it's bad. Similarly, don't use a
scissors to hit a nail then blame it's bad, too." Managers, however
often have problem with mavericks, by definition "nonconformists". Very
often, managers blame that mavericks don't fit with any "normal" plan.
I somehow attribute this frustration to the managers' lack of diversity
management skills. Like in my quote before, they try to use the hammer
to cut paper.
Managing mavericks is quite an experience. Leading them without
power is much more challenging. In my early management career, I once
had a maverick in my team, so decided to check Mary K. Pratt's tips in
her "Managing Mavericks" article immediately.
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