Every person in your organization has the potential for greatness. To realize it, they need to be in the right jobs, informed, empowered, treated fairly and allowed to grow. In most important respects, they're just like you.

Here's a more extensive list of what you need to understand about people in order to nurture greatness:

1. People are similar in what they want:

• They want to survive.
• They want meaningful relationships.
• They want to be free.
• They want power-they want to make a difference.
• They want to have fun.
• They want to experience a little novelty.
• They want to be treated with respect and as individuals.
• They want to use their capabilities.
• They want to exercise their creativity-to do things differently.
• They want their lives to have meaning-they will follow you anywhere if you help them find it.

• They've had unique life experiences.
• They have different values.
• They have different goals and priorities.
• They have developed parts of their potential, but not all of it.
• They have unique styles.
• They see the world differently.

• They are rational and irrational.
• They want freedom and commitment.
• They are fearful and courageous.
• They want to work hard and loaf.
• They think they know themselves, but often don't.

• They are naturally curious until taught to be otherwise.
• They are using only a small fraction of their brain's potential.
• They are capable of learning new things at very advanced ages. (The brain is like any other muscle-it becomes stronger with use.)

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Peter Drucker