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A long time ago, one of my former bosses got very very frustrated with me and declared, “You should be able to work with anyone and everyone. Stop complaining about your co-workers.” I dismissed that boss in my mind as incompetent and insensitive. Besides, he was a senior executive with a lot of power, what did he know about us grunts in the trenches, with limited resources, and facing difficult co-workers?

Over the years my cynicism has turned to curiosity. What will it take for me to work with anyone in this world? Turns out I can work with anyone in this world, but I can say without emotion that working with some people takes a lot out of me, and working with others motivates me to higher achievements.

Diversity in the workplace is rewarding, but painful. It is hard work. But it can be rewarding, and even spiritually uplifting just to consider the question, “What will it take for you to work with anyone?” If you take this question literally, you are setting yourself up for frustration. If you take this question seriously, you will force yourself to become flexible and adaptive.

You will realize the importance of being in the moment, and that change is the only constant. Meaning, you have to be always vigilant about the need for you to change and adapt.