Are you a Difference-Maker?

I have often heard it said that "people make the difference" in our organization or "people are our greatest asset" in our business. After years of working in multiple organizations and now presenting seminars on conflict resolution, I am starting to ask the question, "what kind of people make the difference?" and "what kind of people are your greatest asset?"

We have all worked with smart people, high performers, and people-persons who were so smart they couldn't or wouldn't communicate with others, performed so high (or thought they did) that they looked down on everyone else or were great with customers and hell-on-wheels with everyone in the office. They all make a difference but is it the right kind of difference maker?

Do you employee the difference makers who create a better workplace and work culture? Do you employee the difference makers who have friends, neighbors and acquaintances asking them how to get a job at your organization because it's a great place to work. Even more, are you the kind of difference maker who is creating a path to success and fulfillment for the people around you or the people you lead?

Your most challenging employees, regardless of how they perform, are the people who: a) never consider or ask themselves if they are the problem or how they might be contributing to a problem, b) can provide a litany of problems with no solutions or c) identify how they can help others within the organization.

The difference makers you are looking for have a history of collaborating with others, finding win-win solutions to problems, understand that disagreeing is an opportunity to seek better solutions and have the strength and wisdom to be introspective and are attentive to their role in problems or challenges. Those difference makers are the people others are drawn to and want to work with because the lift others up and help others succeed. Almost everyone wants to do a good job. The difference makers you want are finding ways to help everyone do a good job.