From Dunder Mifflin to your office: 4 ways to engage at work
Tom Lane bears no resemblance to the fictional (and inappropriate and neurotic) boss Michael Scott of Dunder Mifflin in “The Office.”
Lane is a graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, a former partner and senior consultant at Center for Intentional Leadership, and now: a self-starter.
He just launched OneTeam Leadership alongside Nicholas Beamon, Kelly Flynn, Jon DeFriese and Paige Scanlon.
“We help leaders get better,” Lane said of their work with other companies. “We help them get better at what’s most important, which is engaging their people.”
Michael Scott seems better at alienating his people. Luckily, Lane explained four ways to do the opposite: To be more engaged with employees, teammates and bosses.
Point to ponder: Were the producers of “The Office” actually trying to tell us these tips all along?
1. Be a self-leader. “I believe leadership is a mindset and you can lead from any chair,” Lane said. “You can lead (as) the new kid right out of college, all the way up to the grizzled old veteran.”
happy 10th anniversary to the best show out there @theofficenbc pic.twitter.com/RyC8NjnDAD
— Lisa Robidoux (@LisaRobidoux1) March 24, 2015
2. Achieve “versativity.” As Lane defined it, “versativity” is a blend of versatility and sensitivity.
“Versatility is the ability to actually do what needs to be done in the moment,” he said. Sensitivity is 360-degree awareness of the people around you and what they need.
Rather than following the Golden Rule — treat others as you would like to be treated — Lane said abide by the Platinum Rule: “Treat people how they want to be treated.”
This means human connection. Give a hug when it’s needed. Take the time to hear someone out if he or she needs to talk.
Happy 10th anniversary to @theofficenbc and thanks to @mindykaling for delivering my favorite line of all time pic.twitter.com/GbcNPUFwsX — Brittany Morales (@bmo1331) March 24, 2015
3. Recognize that you’re not always right. “The way you see things and the way things are are not necessarily the same,” Lane said. “Part of self-leadership is really starting to get that there’s an infinite number of points of views about things.”
10 years ago the greatest show ever aired…thank you @theofficenbc pic.twitter.com/8V3TwRNLSH
— Steven Workman (@steven_workman) March 24, 2015
4. Be interested in other people’s perspectives. “What I’m talking about is giving people the freedom to share what’s important to them,” Lane said. “Get in their world. They’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
Happy 10 year anniversary to the best show that ever aired @theofficenbc pic.twitter.com/Nq269Z6UPX
— Daniela Perez (@D_Perez_) March 24, 2015
Photo by Ebony at Rae Images.
This story was originally published May 17, 2015 at 11:55 PM with the headline "From Dunder Mifflin to your office: 4 ways to engage at work."