You're Right, Too!

from the desk of Ron Sukenick

There's an old Jewish folk tale about two men, Jacob and Joseph, who were having a dispute. Each was absolutely sure he was right! They asked their Rabbi to settle the argument once and for all. Jacob went first, telling his side of the story with great vehemence. The Rabbi stroked his beard and, saying a number of "Hmm"s, finally concluded, "You know, Jacob, "I think you're right." Then Joseph had his turn, angrily correcting Jacob's version of the story. "Well," concluded the Rabbi, "Joseph, it appears you're right, too!"

By this time a small crowd had gathered. One of the bystanders, unable to contain himself, cried out, "But, Rabbi! They can't both be right!" A brief silence, punctuated by more "Hmm's" ensued. Finally, the Rabbi said to the bystander, "You know, you're right, too!"

In an earlier Beyond Networking blog (see Which Comes First: Let's Do It, Or Let's Think It Through?) I explained that the Model of Human Behavior I use in my work as a Certified Human Behavior Consultant™ reveals there are four main personality styles. What's more, just like the men consulting their Rabbi, all four of these styles are "right". How can this be?

Each of us has a style of relating to events and to other people. That's why I always tell my coaching clients that they can't change other people. What they can do, though, is adapt the way they relate to those other people and learn to better meet the needs of others.

Being able to make this kind of adaptation is the key to going from leads to referrals, from networking to NetBeing. Ultimately, it can mean going from "so-so" to success!