Identifying Potential in Ourselves and Others
If there is someone nearby as you read this look in their eyes. Look closely and you will see great potential inside this person regardless of how "successful" or accomplished they are. If you are alone, get up, find a mirror, and look in your own eyes. There is great potential there too!
If you don't believe this premise - that great potential is inside each of us - there is no reason to continue reading. Why? Because this article will give you concrete steps to help you recognize and find that potential in yourself and others.
If you don't believe it is there, it will be pretty hard to find it.
(Ok, I'm glad you are still reading!)
Identifying Our Own Potential
I know you may be reading this thinking about how you can coach, mentor and lead others ? and you really are more interested in focusing on others. This is admirable and we'll get there in a few minutes, however in order to help others most effectively, we need to know how it works ourselves, and by working on ourselves we are in an even better position to help others.
1. Be introspective. Spend time alone with your thoughts. Consider these questions and use them as a starting point. You are trying to open your mind and find your strengths, passions and goals. By thinking about these things and making some notes in a journal you will be opening your mind to your own potential.
? What are the things you most enjoy doing and why?
? When do you feel most satisfied and productive?
? Think about your childhood dreams ? what were they?
? What are your goals and dreams now ? not those others have put on you ? but yours?
? What have you always wanted to try?
2. Look for patterns. While you will find clues in the specifics you have thought about and written down, take a higher level look. What kinds of trends and patterns do you see? The goal is to find specific skills, aptitudes, and situations that you can develop and nurture. Write down your observations.
3. Ask others. Ask others for their input. Who you pick to help you can be critical to your success here. Ask people who will be supportive and care enough about you and your success to provide some insight and ideas to you. You might consider a family member, a peer, a mentor, your boss; it could be anyone. Just make sure they have enough experience and exposure to you to offer a balanced and informed opinion. Rather than sharing what you've come up with, ask them from a clean slate. Use the following questions as a way to start the conversation ? the discussion will flow naturally from there. Make sure that you take notes on all of the insights they share.
? What do you see as my biggest strengths?
? What kinds of things do you think I could excel at, even if you haven't seen me do them?
? In what situations have you seen me shine?
? What do you see as my biggest area of potential?
4. Look again. Review all of your notes again ? Now you can look at both your thoughts and the ideas and insights you received from others. Look for more trends. Perhaps some things pop out at you and there is agreement. Or, perhaps others have identified things you never thought of (which is one of the reasons you ask them in the first place!) Make more notes of your observations and ideas.
5. Potential identified! Congratulations! After going through this exercise you will likely have identified more things and ideas than you can take advantage of right away.
Identifying Potential in Others
The process for helping others is the same, except the order of the steps might change a little and your role is different. If you have completed the steps above and now want to help others, you have to start with sales.
Think about it. You completed the exercise because you looked in the mirror, and said, in effect, "I have potential, and I'm worth the effort to find it." Now you are looking at someone who may have never had that internal conversation with themselves.
At the start of this article I said, if you don't believe you will find something (in our case potential) you won't likely go searching for it. So, the first thing you have to do to help others identify their potential is help them believe it is there. Let's look at the steps now:
1. Help them see. First you need to motivate them to want find their potential. You might see it, but if they don't you have some work to do! People may be cynical or have a poor self image, so you might have to start slow. Encourage them and convince them to try the exercise with you. If you can get them just beyond skeptical, you can help them be successful.
2. Share your reasons. Perhaps you are a supervisor, manager, parent or in some other position of "power" over the people you are trying to help. If so it is especially important to let the person know that your intentions are pure. You just want to help them reach their potential. Help them see that this is all about them (not about the bottom line, or them getting A's so you can be proud, etc.). Making this clear may remove other barriers in the way of success with this process.
3. Share some of your thoughts. You've influenced them, and gotten them on board. Now you may need to "prime the pump". Share with them a couple of things that you see in them ? things that you see as being areas of great potential. This isn't the time to give them everything, just enough to engage them and encourage them to follow the process.
4. Get them involved. Now share the process with them. Give them a list of the steps you used to identify your own potential (Go ahead ? cut and paste the steps above and give it to them.) Encourage them to start with introspection and advise them to take notes.
5. Coach them through. Encourage them to stay with the process. They will likely ask you to be one of the people to share with them ? after all you influenced and encouraged them to do this to start with! Whether they ask you or not, continue to encourage them and help them in any way you can.
6. Congratulate them! When they have identified some areas of potential, make sure you congratulate them. Let them know how excited you are for them, and let them know that you will do all you can to help them develop those potential skills and aptitudes.
The first step towards releasing potential is to identify, name and recognize that potential. There is more to be done, but you can't do any of that until the potential is identified. That leaves you plenty to do right now anyway, right?
©2004, All Rights Reserved, Kevin Eikenberry. Kevin publishes Unleash Your Potential, a free weekly ezine designed to provide ideas, tools, techniques and inspiration to enhance your professional skills. Go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/current.a sp to read the current issue and subscribe. Kevin is also President of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You may contact Kevin at toll free 888.LEARNER.
 Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:50:43 GMT Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies - AFP
AFP - BANGKOK (AFP) - Leaders of Thai anti-government protests were granted bail Friday after surrendering to police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting turmoil days after deadly street clashes. Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors PAD leaders surrender to Thailand police Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:03 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US to buy shares in struggling banks Obama welcomes Paulson plan to buy equity in firms Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Christine Harper Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the biggest independent US investment banks, may reap cash infusions as part of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan to buy stakes in financial institutions, ... As Stock Falls, Morgan Looks to Japanese Bank Morgan Stanley hangs on Mitsubishi's $9bn pledge Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:30:39 GMT Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Del Quentin Wilber Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell told jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday that the powerful Alaska Republican had a "sterling" reputation among the nation's military and political leaders. Reporter's Notebook: Powell Takes the Stand for Stevens Powell says Sen. Stevens' integrity "sterling" Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:13:53 GMT McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - 'NO MA'AM': Sen. John McCain takes a question from a supporter who called Democratic rival Barack Obama an Arab at a town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minn. McCain-Palin's hot rhetoric risks GOP backlash McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:04:20 GMT Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes - International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune - By Serge F. Kovaleski NEW YORK: Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, abused her powers as governor of Alaska by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, according to an investigation ... Palin ethics lapse cited Alaska probe finds Palin 'abused her power' Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:58:28 GMT Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party - New York Times
New York Times - By CELIA DUGGER JOHANNESBURG - In a step likely to lead to the collapse of a painstakingly negotiated power-sharing deal, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, in office for 28 years, has unilaterally declared that his party will retain the most powerful ... Mugabe 'gives Zanu-PF key posts' Zimbabwe's Mugabe hands key ministries to his party Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:57:49 GMT Increased Web Site Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work... Read More Resolving conflict doesn't come easily to too many people. Most... Read More Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly... Read More The Leader's Fallacy lives! We subscribe to the Fallacy when... Read More A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More Swiftness is the key to collecting past due commercial accounts... Read More Having an agenda template that works well for you, week... Read More Now that it is January, many of you are putting... Read More Effective leaders are known for being excellent communicators. Here's what... Read More Outsourcing is when you hire outside professionals or services to... Read More People who work with us often struggle with this dilemma:... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More An operations manual can act as a tool for training... Read More Succession Planning provides many valuable assets to your business. Yet... Read More It is essential to understand what work and what do... Read More My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for... Read More Is your online business disaster-proof? Online businesses face a unique... Read More It is clear that good Corporate Governance is in the... Read More 1) Use a live instructor. Adults learn best by doing,... Read More Change is not simple. Why do we repeat behavior that... Read More What is the number one way to prevent failure in... Read More Meetings, whether they're regularly scheduled routines in your company or... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More 1st Fact: Interviewing applicants is the most common way companies... Read More
Adsense
websites
Why Saying Well Done Works
Resolve Differences
Performance Management - By Assuming Nothing
In Leadership, The Critical Convergence Drives Great Results
How to get an Audiences Attention
Commercial Collections Billing Practices Advice
Agendas Make Meetings Productive
The Truth About Performance Reviews
6 Steps to Effective Communication
How To Use Outsourcing To Beat Your Competition
I Cant Use This Approach Unless My Boss Does - Power, Accountability, and Consequences
Business Innovation ? Improvisation
Innovation Management ? Selecting Good Ideas
How to Create an Operations Manual
Plan for Business Success - 6 Reasons to Succession Plan
What You Should Know if People Dont Buy From You and People Dont Visit Your Web Site
Turn Your Speech Into A Leadership Talk
Online Business Peace of Mind
Corporate Governance for Business Owners
How to Save Money on Training
Writing and Revising Your Life Story
What 80% of Businesses Don?t Know: Tips for Improving Your Working Capital Management
Meetings: Don?t Just Show Up, Stand Out and Shine
Creativity and Innovation Management: The Creative State
Interviewing Applicants Can Be Hazardous to Your Wealth
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank
Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or... Read More
How to Get Your Procedures Project Done
Wouldn't it be nice for business owners and executives to... Read More
Performance Appraisal Checklist: Raise Not Just Appraise Performance
It's that time again! Perhaps the most dreaded management practice... Read More
Bye-Bye Boring Meetings! Make Yours Remarkable!
It's the middle of the night. You've woken up with... Read More
Test Your Hiring IQ
The purpose of any selection process is to discriminate (albeit... Read More
Why Your Business Needs an E-Mail Policy
Why is it imperative to have a company E-Mail Policy?... Read More
Employee Turnover: Is It Eating Up Your Profits?
Keeping the cost of doing business down, yet providing a... Read More
Issue Management Methodology for Tracking Project Issues
1. What is an Issue?An issue is an incident, circumstance,... Read More
Manage Communication to Add Value
Management guru Tom Peters says white collar workers and managers... Read More
Training Managers and New Trainers
Training managers use many of the same interpersonal and analytical... Read More
Its a Training Issue!
There's a common phrase used by Organizational Development and Human... Read More
Show Me the Money!
Are you ready to raise money for your startup?Leslie Mitts,... Read More
Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have SMART Goals
The first step in planning an agenda is to identify... Read More
Use Every Weapon You Have
One of the strongest weapons available allows business, non-profit and... Read More
How Bad Communication Can Hold You Back and How to Break Free of It
The reason jobs are often not done right and employees... Read More
People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills
Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills,... Read More
Top 7 Methods to Empower Employees
How many times have you asked someone to do something... Read More
Balancing Power in Outsource Contract Agreements
The practice of outsourcing business processes has long been subject... Read More
Its All In The Systems
Have you ever noticed french fries taste the same at... Read More
Innovation Management ? Reducing Hierarchy
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Overcoming Perfectionism
Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing... Read More
Are You Managing to Lead?
For many people, the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous.... Read More
The Few & the Many: Free Trade, Outsourcing, & Communication
Have you noticed that some sound ideas get bad publicity?... Read More
From Boring to Interesting - Making Training Effective
Being a good trainer requires experience and skill. Experience comes... Read More
One Thing You Cant Hide
One of the most important of all motivators at work... Read More
Business Management |