Life is a puzzle...continued

Change all your negative thinking about the people who do not fit in. These people on the edges are just that. They are the most important part of our schools and your business, our communities and the world. They are like the edge pieces of a great puzzle. Take time now to think about who is on the edge in your life. Homeless people, bullies, nerds, your crazy uncle and so on. It is our job as leadership teachers and leaders in business to find them and fit them in first. Our reflex is to avoid them and label them as trouble makers or unmotivated dead wood. Think about it. When you are putting a puzzle together, you don't go right for the middle. The easy part that holds the key image of the picture. No. You look for the edge pieces. The apparently unimportant pieces when the picture is together. You know the people who do not fit in at work or at school. Don't avoid them. Search them out. Look for the corner pieces. The ones that appear to cause the most trouble or have almost nothing in common with the rest of the work team. These are the most vital points of your puzzle. I know they are not as much fun as the middle and when it is all together they don't get the focus or the praise. But, they hold it together. You know it and I know it. So make a list and get started. In a subtle way let them know how valuable they are. No matter how small or how big your puzzle is you will always have edges and corners. Even in the smallest family or work team. The middle will fall together as a result. Give them the value they deserve. You can do it!