They Are People

A long time ago, in my first job out of university I was trying to convince a coworker to call back somebody from the head office on a somewhat time sensitive issue. I’d been in the job a very short time and was not being very successful in influencing this person to pick up the phone and make the call. Finally I was told something that I’ll never forget: 

He is just a person.

This wasn’t a slag on his position in the company, it was a lesson that each person in a company is a person, with responsibilities and accountabilities, but at the end of the day, they are people.

It was also a reminder to not be scared of the person. Now, for the record I wasn’t scared, I was simply trying to follow up on a request, trying to move at the speed of business, as they say.

In any organization there are people with more responsibilities and hopefully the power to fulfil those responsibilities. People can be intimidated by the power that resides within these positions as it is more power than a lot will ever have. These are positions like CEO, Deputy Minister, or Commander. They have a lot of responsibilities and often not a lot of time. However, more importantly, they are people. They have a job to do and they are trying to do their job well. They are hopefully trying to take care of their team while they achieve their objectives. This is admirable but at the end of the day, they are people who want to go home to spend time with people they care about. They want to feel like their contribution matters. They want to be heard. They want to make a difference. They want to have fun.

To reach their objectives, they may have more tools at their disposal. They may have more authority to spend money or reallocate people. They can say yes to things nobody else can but, they can also say no. This make a lot of these positions intimidating, but it is the people in the positions that make the difference.

So, next time you need something don’t be afraid to approach the big boss. They are a person just like you, with challenges and fears like you. They have hopes and dreams like you and even though they may have to play a bit of a character at work to tow the organization line, deep down inside, they are a lot like you.