Today I had a fabulous conversation with someone at the Apple store and we were talking about those who stand out in a crowd. One – they have passion. They love what they do and they go after it. They might have part-time job, full-time job, or they might just quit whatever they’re doing all together to go after their passion. There are many ways to get to the same place. So wherever you are, there is no need to feeling stuck. Some people build up before they take the leap. Two,They are willing to learn, oh yes, they are willing to do the work to get what they want. Some people say “Oh I can’t” – they seem to have an excuse for everything. There might be a television show or the excuse of having no money. With the internet these days, there is so much knowledge to be had there is libraries, friends, other resources – mentors where you can get the information you need to do what you want to do. A lot of people have gone before you. Stop making those excuses. Research part of your passion or some of the things you feel you need to do. that will help you take the big leap. Three -They are willing to do what it takes They do not see boundaries, they just see stepping stones, or jumping jacks -high jump to the next level. Look at it as – no boundaries because if you are in your comfort zone, you have already set boundaries. You are comfortable – some may consider this lazy. Whatever this for you. Laziness or not. drop the excuses, move out of the boundaries, and Make that space bigger so you can show up in the world.
What Do You Mean You Can’t Teach Effort?
Today I was waiting at the deli and one employee was busy serving customers and the other was standing with her back toward the customers staring at the clock for a good 3-5 minutes. The other employee asked the girl if she was okay and if she was could she please help serve the awaiting customers. She proceeded to put on the plastic gloves and with a big sigh she said, “I guess so”. Wow, that took the cake! As she started to serve me, she had a long drawn out conversation with her fellow employee saying that if she did not eat right away that she would die. Oh my goodness. I was ready to start laughing as the same girl did the same thing last week when there was a line up of customers. Her colleagues had to ask her to help and she reluctantly did. But this being the second time, I decided that perhaps this person needed some coaching, especially since her fellow employee was mouthing apologies to me on her behalf. I went to speak to one of the supervisors and they knew exactly who I was speaking about.
What coaching do you think she needed? From my perspective, she needed to:
1. Gain a greater awareness of how her behaviour was affecting her colleagues and the customers.
2. Understand that her role was to serve others.
3. Prepare and eat before her shift.
4. Understand how important her role was to the store.
Number #4 is the most crucial one! Each person from the janitor to the CEO carries importance to an organization. Imagine what would happen if they were not there…garbage would pile up, no direction or delegation would occur, and no one would be served. If you do not believe your role is important, you are wasting your gifts and talents. The biggest disservice is to you.
You might say to yourself, “I do not have the natural ability that the other person has.” You may not but can you learn the skill? Can you improve over time? Can you work hard and give your best effort? The person, who gets noticed and remembered in the long run, is the person who puts in the effort consistently and gives their best at the time they do a task. Sometimes those with the natural ability – do not produce consistent results, they do not try to improve, and they do not give their best effort because they know they can get by. You cannot teach effort to another person. You can role model it but the pure desire needs to come from within. The intrinsic desire to give your best will get you to your prize faster than anything else. What you do is important!