It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
In this New Year I'm going to continue to explore some leadership quotes that might challenge us, inspire us or remind us of different aspects of the leadership journey. This is part of my personal journey to keep growing, learning and being stretched! Join me each Tuesday at 2:00pm (PST). It will take you just a few minutes to read through the 2 sections of this post, but don't miss the final section where I share some of the things I'm reading, listening to and enjoying this week.
You can find past posts on my website HERE.
Enjoy!
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
“If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything." Tom Rath
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
The first time I thought about the quote above was when I watched a short video series from Marcus Buckingham called Trombone Player Wanted.
In this presentation Buckingham tells the story of a student who played the trombone, but who really wanted to be a drummer.
The purpose was to challenge people to lean into their strengths, but I remember one illustration he used, and it went something like this:
You come home with a report card from school, and for your grades you have an A in math, a B+ in science, an A in English and a D in Geography. Your parents don't really notice the good grades, but focus on the D and strategize about how to get that grade up a little bit.
What happens in the end is your good grades come down, your bad grade moves up a little bit, and you become mediocre.
What your parents should have done is helped you excel in Math & English, even science, and maybe bring your Geography grade up to a passing C.
I'm sure as a parent I've done the same thing to my kids.
We all do such a great job teaching BALANCE. We strive to be the "best all-around" or to be able to do anything and everything instead of really focusing on what we're really good at.... what we were created to do and be.
How do you read the quote above from Rath? How has that been played out in your own life?
DEEPER STILL:
The tougher question is to figure out what you can be GREAT at. Last week, we talked about the difference between Passion & Contribution.
That's a good first step.
I often begin simply by helping someone figure out WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL ALIVE?
During my freshman year of college, I had a couple of part-time jobs. One was in fast food, one was going door to door for the Junior Olympic Association and then I found a job in leadership. It wasn't a prestigious job, but I was in charge of about 30 Spanish-speaking workers and my job was to sit at the front gate of a processing plant and direct the trucks, the workers, the inspectors and to keep the plant moving.
I worked hard for about 4 months of the production season, averaging about 80 hours a week, but I loved every part of it. I was 19 years old, and while I didn't understand what the owners and managers were doing up in the offices all day, I loved being in the middle of all the action, using my skills and gifts, and having people look to me for direction. I came alive.
I didn't pursue a career in production and processing, but I got a taste for what I could be really good at. The fast food job, or the door to door soliciting job did nothing for me... it was just a pay check.
I think that this experience sent me on a journey looking for ways to use my gifts, abilities and passion to make a contribution.
What shaped you or introduced you to your area of greatest strength or contribution? Can you identify a point in time where you saw that for the first time?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Andrea Bocelli had a great show at The Hollywood Bowl. If you haven't experienced a concert there, put it on your list.
Gina and I watched a great movie this weekend... A Man Called Otto. Really heavy themes, but Tom Hanks shines in his role. We really enjoyed it.
Someone I'm coaching asked for help learning how to read and manage financial reports. I researched and found this book to provide some great definitions and a foundation, and I highly recommend it! Reading Financial Reports for Dummies. (No, you're not a dummy, but it's written in a way even I can understand!)
This week, while walking, I listed to Sharon McMahon's podcast, "Here's Where It Gets Interesting." She did a series on Prohibition in America, and it was really educational and informative about our history in this country. I like learning! It's the Season 9 Series.