The Promenade, 1917 - by Marc Chagall
WHICH ONE ARE YOU?
Maybe a bit of male/female role stereotyping going on in this 1917 painting by Marc Chagall?
We don’t know of course.
But playing into that stereotype, I suggested to Liz (my wife) that the painting reflects our roles. Liz floating (jumping?) from one idea to another, me providing the necessary anchor.
Turns out Liz sees it the other way around. She thinks she provides the necessary caution to some of my wilder ideas.
So much for my (male) stereotyping.
None the less, the point about balance seems to be well made. Whichever role we are playing, having someone close to us who can play the balancing role is good.
Most great teams and partnerships reflect this. “Let’s go” accelerators balanced by “hang on a second” brakes. Done well, it leads to better decisions.
So far, so obvious. And you’re probably thinking “Yup, I’m a “let’s go” or “The world needs more “hang on a second” types like me”.
But if that’s the case, maybe all we’ve done is switch stereotypes. We started off with gender, now we’ve done it with personalities.
One thing we’ve (hopefully) learned since 1917 is that gender stereotyping closes society off from a world of opportunity. Maybe personality stereotyping does the same?
Back (briefly) to Liz and me. Seems that we, perhaps unconsciously, switch roles dependent on the situation.
Now back to you.
Say you’re an “accelerator”. A “let’s go” personality. That’s a stereotype right there. What if, just for once, you let others play that role, and you tried slowing down and used your analytical skills a bit more?
Or say you’re more “hang on a second”. Could you be brave, let go, and have the courage to give voice to your own dreams for a change? Just because those extrovert, “creative” types are coming out with all the ideas, doesn’t make them good ideas for goodness sake!
Stereotyping weakens us. It limits our potential. As teams, as societies.
So back to the question. Which one are you?
YOU’RE BOTH.
Be brave. Give both a chance. Who knows what great things might emerge?
FANCY A SLIGHTLY LONGER READ?
Maybe try one or more of the books
