Opening Remarks by Ms. Roxane Kennedy – Florida Power & Light March 23, 1998

Personality differences are our boon and our bane. They’re what makes life so rich and fascinating – and often so frustrating, too. Especially at work, where teamwork and motivation are pivotal.

Most of us never figure people out. We just ricochet through life. We get along with some people, refuse to deal with others, or have as little interaction as possible with still others, because they’re so – different – from us.

But what if you knew the secret of those differences? What if there was a simple, but proven, way to build rapport with everyone? To eliminate personality conflicts? To take charge of your own compatibility with others? To make business mutually beneficial instead of a contest of wills?

You can learn to handle people the way they want to be handled, to speak to them in the way they are comfortable listening, to sell to people the way they like to buy it, and to lead people in ways that are comfortable for them to follow.

The challenge is to remove the tension and discomfort created by assuming we’re all pretty much alike. With this, I leave the rest for the instructor and you to explore.