There's a reason we put different types of fish in separate tanks. Put an agressive fish in with the nice little goldfish and nothing good can result. The fish tank is a great analogy for business deals and partnerships. Some personality types just can't work together.
Long ago, back at Syracuse University, my buddy Chad was about to leave for about a week and needed someone to watch his fish. He dropped the tank over at my apartment so that I could take care of them while he was gone and was sure to give me a few last minute pointers.
Not sure how I ended up at the pet store, maybe needed some supplies or something, but by the time I was finished I came home with a little shark to add to the tank.
Turns out that you can only have similar types of fish in the same tank.
That shark drove the other fish insane. Literally. The shark would dart around, intimidating the others, all day long. The extra large goldfish didn't even want to eat while the shark was around. He eventually got a bite taken out of his tail. The little clear fish with small stripes on their side tried to stick together in one corner of the tank. All the fish just swam around scared, anticipating the shark sneaking up on them.
All the fish eventually died, even the shark! It happened quick too, in a matter of days. One by one they would turn belly up. Perhaps the shark died because the bowl was too small or because he had no one to bully.
How does that relate to business? Be careful what kind of fish you put together!
That reminds me of another animal comparison to people.
Dan Kennedy, my hero, says that all horses are different. Some like to be kept in the front of the stable where there is a lot of traffic and some like to be kept towards the back where they don't see anyone and are left alone.
The problem is the horses cannot tell us which part of the stable they prefer to stay in, we have to figure it out for them.
Just like people.
Some like to be in the mix and want to be around others most of the time while other people like to be left alone to work on their own.
Most people, like horses, don't even know where they are best suited. We have to figure it out for them. Sad but true.
Keep this in mind when hiring and training new staff. Most of the time they just want the job because they need the money.
You have to look past that and try to find out which type of horse (or fish) they are. Not always possible to find out beforehand but do your best to place each person in the best position and around the people mostly likely to enhance their talents, not kill them.
When I am managing a group of people, I hold the mindset of a team sport. In basketball, for example, you can have great players but if they don't work well together as a team, they may not win many games.
It has been said that a majority of people are let go from a job because of their personality and inability to work well with others than for their capability to do a good job.
