We are all the same but different.

Our experiences, the order they’ve come in and the lessons we learn from them vary for each of us and shape our view of the world we share.

Having a one-size-fits-all leadership approach to learning, personal development, coaching, and conversations will likely leave you falling short of bringing out the best of every individual.

Here are three tips I have learned to help a leader, an individual, and the team embrace differences and utilise them to make a stronger team.

1) As a leader, acknowledge your role’s focus isn’t making everyone in the team just like you. (Other people are not failed versions of you).

2) Ensuring that one-on-one coaching conversations include, not just teaching the individual, but also learning about them, how they like to learn, how they prefer feedback and what motivates them.

3) Spending time as a team learning about Myers-Briggs types (or something similar) that highlight the diversity of thinking and provide a shared language for understanding and appreciating our differences.

If your goal as a leader is to bring out the best in a team by helping individuals grow and realise their potential, start by learning more about them.

My leadership cartoons illustrate skill development, learning, and development to bring a thoughtful smile to your day.

These insights come from twenty years of leadership experience and I enjoy this unique way to encourage us to think about how we can do leadership differently.

If you want to see more of my work, click the following icon on my profile, Lee Sampson and join over 3,000 others getting a daily dose of fun and thoughtful penguin cartoons in their LinkedIn feed.