I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday talking about helping students recognize their talents and become actively involved in picking the right career for themselves. Then she made a comment with “So many of our students cannot see themselves as good at anything, they are just struggling/focused on finishing.”
How many of our people are just focused on finishing? Finishing the day. Finishing this class. Finishing the work you just gave them. Finishing their next meal. Finishing the meeting. Finishing the phone call. Finishing is about putting your head down and charging forward.
When I talk to groups about their story as an analogy to their career plan or their next job search I often hear finishing language. It sounds like – I have never thought of myself at being talented, I work. I am good at getting things done. I just need to find a job. I want my Birkman Method profile to look like theirs.
Everyone is great at something, or has the potential to be. Help people FIND that, do something with it, and finishing will just happen.
Often during trUYou sessions with leaders, in the middle of reviewing the Birkman assessment something special happens. They remember what they love or re-find something they need that they stopped asking for after their last promotion. In one discussion the leader realized they needed time to review what they did and sort through (in order to take tasks off the list) their list of priorities. I helped them find – then they went and finished.
Be that kind of leader – whether it is leading others or leading yourself (aka: Followership!)