The Genius of Opposites

Preface

“It comes down to different styles. That is the cause of most conflicts at work. You are an extrovert, Jennifer, and Amy, your assistant, is an introvert. Until you accept that basic fact and learn to work with her, your department won’t get to where it needs to be.”

These words from Peter, an outside company consultant, were hard to hear. I had really worked at moving Amy along and expected her to adopt my energy and pace. None of my efforts were working. Trying to fix Amy and mold her into a “mini-Jennifer” was actually making things worse. Our partnership had already fizzled despite my herculean efforts.

Though it was too late to make things work then, failing to establish a productive work relationship with Amy did motivate me to ...