How to Work with and Lead People Not Like You: Practical Solutions for Today's Diverse Workplace - Hardcover

by Kelly McDonald (Author)

If you're in a diverse team, you know employee differences can cause miscommunication, lower trust, and hurt productivity. . . It doesn't have to be this way

The people you work with may be from a different generation, different culture, different race, different gender, or just a different philosophy toward work and life in general, but you need to work together toward a common goal. How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You explains how to dial down the differences, smooth out the friction, and play upon each other's strengths to become more effective, more productive, and less stressed. The keys are to find the common ground and identify hidden conflicts that are hurting productivity.

Many people shudder at the prospect of working with diverse groups of people, but they can't voice their fear or anxiety. At work, it's not OK or politically correct to say, 'I'm uncomfortable with this person.' In fact, if you do say something along those lines, your job may be at risk. Your company may terminate you for not being on the 'diversity bandwagon.' So you keep quiet and you keep your thoughts to yourself. But deep down, you are uncomfortable.

If you feel like this, it doesn't mean you're racist, sexist, ageist, homophobic, or any other negative label. It means you're struggling.

You're struggling to understand people, cultures, or values that are unfamiliar to you. You're struggling to do your job with teammates and coworkers who may have very different viewpoints or different approaches to communication than you have. You're struggling to overcome differences and pull together to achieve high performance at work.

Whether you're leading a diverse team, working in a challenging cross-cultural environment, or simply working with people who are 'not like you, ' you need to be able to get along with everyone as a team, to get the work done. This book explains the skills you need to communicate, motivate, and inspire people to collaborate--even if they have very different values, lifestyles, or priorities.

• Learn key steps that bring cohesion to diversity
• How to have a constructive conversation about working alongside people who are different
• The four magic words that make this easier and smooth over friction
• What not to say--and why
• Learn to set aside differences and get things done
• Learn how to handle a racist, sexist, homophobic or offensive remark in a professional way
• Retain your sanity when colleagues drive you crazy

The changing demographics of today's workforce bring conflicting viewpoints, perspectives, approaches, skills, habits, and personalities together in one place; whether that leads to synergy or catastrophe is up to you. How to Work With and Lead People Not Like You helps you turn a hurdle into an advantage so you or your team can do more, achieve more, and enjoy the ride.

Author Biography

Kelly McDonald (Dallas, TX; www.mcdonaldmarketing.com) is the president of an award-winning advertising and marketing firm, and has been featured on CNBC, in BusinessWeek, CNN Money.com, and XM Radio. Her agency's clients include brands such as Toyota, Sherwin-Williams, Kimberly-Clark, Miller/Coors, Harley-Davidson, and Nike. In 2009, Advertising Age named McDonald Marketing one of the Top Ad Agencies in the U.S. across all disciplines. In 2014, Kelly was named one of the "10 Most Booked Corporate & Association Speakers" in the U.S. In 2015, she was also named to the list of "Top Women Business Speakers You Need at Your Next Conference".