I remember a point in my corporate career where I knew I didn’t fit. I was sitting in a conference room during a Senior leadership meeting and realized I did not look like any of the other women in the room. I wore glasses, did not color my hair. I did not have a manicure or pedicure, I was not wearing a power suit and I did not have on any lipstick. Nothing against the brilliant women in the room who did all that, it just hit me that I didn’t fit into the mold. I felt out of place and a bit inferior. Yikes!
Then I paused and realized they needed me in that room. I was the voice that was not the same as everyone else. I looked different, I thought different, and I produced very differently than anyone else…even the men. My appearance was just an outward manifestation of my square peg-ness sitting in a round-holed meeting room. It was a good thing and made me the person people sought out to get things moving, implement new ideas, even to think outside the box. What looked like a real problem or disadvantage ended up being my greatest asset.
Sometimes the best way to lead is to not fit into the mold, it is to be the square peg in a world of round holes. To be the one who is different – not merely to prove a point or to BE different – being different because you actually live, think, produce differently than those around you. Your perspective and thought process travels a course that others do not follow. Being different is a great advantage as long as you know how to handle it.
Being different means not always being the popular choice, not being part of the ‘in’ crowd. It means not being invited to all the events, not being everyone’s best buddy. You will be liked and admired, you just may not be the first choice for a lunch date. It means being trusted that you will be honest, even when the words you need to speak are not the ones people always want to hear. It means having courage, being wiling to challenge the normal ways, and it means being patient as people need time to process what’s coming down the pike. And above all, it means learning to craft your message in such a way that the round-holed thought process can understand the advantages of your square-pegged ideas.
I am proud that I am a square-peg thinker and producer in this round-holed world. I have learned to embrace this about myself AND now see it as a great feature of my personal brand. I would encourage you to see where and when you can be that square peg and bring value to the round hole world.
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