Recently I was asked by Clint Carlos of Soar.com to tell my “best strengths story” about how I help teams reach their full potential. But I don’t want to talk about strengths. I want to talk about how I build a home for my teams – a place for them to thrive and grow. And, I want to convince you to build a home for your team, too.
“Can I give you some feedback?” (Insert groan and the thought that a root canal is preferable.) The word “feedback” is loaded with negative connotations, yet we all need feedback to perform well. Every professional athlete has a coach for just that reason. No worries – I have some tried and true tips for you!
I am an Idea Machine – Ideation is my number one StrengthsFinder® talent. While I was watching TV on Monday, I saw a marvelous GE commercial on how the corporate world responds to people who generate ideas. It absolutely knocked me off my feet. The Idea is represented by a creature that looks like an offspring between Big Bird and a peacock. It is repeatedly kicked to the curb, locked out of the building, and trashed as being undesirable until, morose and deflated, it walks through the doors of GE.
Stupid is not a nice word. However, after reading about an Olympic athlete who refused to shake hands with a competitor and was sent home for poor sportsmanship, and some intriguing new information about the robbery in Rio, I was transported back to January 2, 2016 when sports analyst Trevor Matich shared his theory on the Rule of Stupids. Matich said, “Don’t do stupid things, in stupid places, at stupid times, around stupid people.” Consider the number of careers, companies and relationships that might have been saved by the Rule of Stupids!
When is the last time you studied a sign and thought, “Nah, I’m not going there.” By definition, road signs exist to direct us. Detour. No Left Turn. One Way. Do Not Enter. Road Closed. Under Construction. Human beings, by definition, make their own decisions. We read the sign, evaluate our options, predict some sort of future outcome (correct or incorrect), and off we go. I faced that situation recently, and when it was all over, I was glad I followed the sign.
