Listen to the Insight

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The Size Isn’t the Truth. The Fit Is.

Yesterday was packed with meetings, and somewhere between all of that, I did something I haven’t done in a long time…

I went shopping for jeans.

I work from home, so my wardrobe is pretty simple: sweats or jeans. I didn’t need jeans per se. I needed to replace my favorite pair—the ones that had become so comfortable I kept wearing them long after they had become too raggedy to wear in public.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a 1:1 replacement.

So I tried different brands.

One brand ran small, so I had to go up a size.

Another ran big, so I had to go down a size.

I tried on a pair of juniors that I actually liked, except they were too long. I asked the clerk if they came in a petite length.

“Nope. Juniors only come in a standard length.”

Apparently, if you’re shorter or taller than the standard, you’re just SOOL. 😂

And that's when the leadership lesson hit me. Three brands, three sizes, one body. Not one of those numbers was the truth.

The fit was.

We spend a lot of time talking about whether people are the right fit for an organization.

But I think we're asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking, “Does this person fit our organization?” we should ask, “Have we designed an environment where the right people can actually fit?”

People aren't standardized. Neither are organizations. Neither are leadership situations.

Good leadership requires adaptation. Sometimes I need to adjust. Sometimes the environment needs to adjust. And sometimes, like those jeans, I simply need to stop trying to make something work because the label says it should.

That's the part we forget:

Adaptation isn't always about changing yourself to fit the room. Sometimes it's recognizing that the room needs to change.

So this week, ask yourself:

Am I measuring people by the label or paying attention to the fit?

Because the size isn't the truth.

The fit is.