Different Strokes for Different Folks

Many lessons that I have kept in my back pocket I learned from TV as an 80’s baby. I was reminded of one of these great lessons recently when I was telling someone about my views on different methods of getting things done. He was not at all interested in anything I had to say and told me so. As a writer, I have to say it so here I am writing it here whether you read it or not, it will be here for me to come back and read.

I was 21 or 22 at my first Corporate job and I had my first encounter with butting heads with a coworker. She was in her 40’s and could not stand my way of doing things. She complained to our boss every chance she got. I didn’t understand her frustration since the task that was being asked of me was always completed. Our boss felt the same so didn't address me about it. It eventually came to head because everybody in the office got sick and tired of hearing about it and our boss had to intervene. She called us into her office and asked what the issue was. The coworker stated her long case and we listened. Our boss asked what the core issue really was since the work was getting done. Coworker said the issue was that it wasn’t getting done HER way.

Ding dong!

A-ha!

This lady had been conditioned to believe that ONLY her way was the correct way and it was doing her a serious disservice. My boss and I pointed out that there were different ways of doing the same thing and as long as the task was completed, there was no issue. This was news to my coworker and you could really see her working out this new information in her brain and processing it.

I avidly watched Different Strokes as a kid in the 80’s and I paid attention to the show AND the theme song.

Now, the world don't move to the beat of just one drum,
What might be right for you, may not be right for some.
It takes Diff'rent Strokes.
It takes Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

Everybody's got a special kind of story;
Everybody finds a way to shine.
It don't matter that you got not alot.
So what?
They'll have theirs, you'll have yours, and I'll have mine.
And together we'll be fine!

'Cuz it takes Diff'rent Strokes to move the world,
Yes it does.
It takes Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

When I heard the Different Strokes theme song I understood that the world is made of different people who do things as differently as they please and I thought it was a beautiful thing. We can’t all be the same. I always got that not everyone is the same and to see them as such would not turn out well for anyone. In that same line, I got that people do things differently and to just let them. Changing them to do things exactly as I would do them requires more energy than I have to give.

It baffles me to come across people even now like my coworker from 1997 who are so stuck in only doing things one way and expecting everyone to do things just their way. You can teach me your way but if my way works better for me and gives us both the same result, why not just let things be?

You simply cannot make people into who you want just to please you. Let them be great in their own way. Dismissing their views and their methodology because it’s not yours tells me that you gotta go back to the drawing board and re-access.