Dozens of human interest stories have emerged as a consequence of this year’s earthquakes, oil spills, fires and tornadoes. We’ve learned about the brave few who helped the many; the risk taking few who endangered the many; and the reluctant few who created more work for the dependable many.
The stories revealed the ways we react when confronted with the unexpected. They tell us more about ourselves and each other than we might at first realize:
People who are at their best when managing and maintaining a well oiled operation are typically at their worst when things suddenly go very wrong. Like deer caught in the headlights, they’re more fixated by the intense light than the moving object that’s attached to it. Whether it’s happening to deer or people, the results can be disastrous.
Those at their best when handling crisis are at their worst when the action and activity slows down. They aren’t maintainers, never were, never will be. Give them jobs that require spontaneity, flexibility and versatility and they’ll respond with focus, energy and enthusiasm.
An old friend recently returned from an unusual trip to a place just east of the end of the earth. Her trip was more exotic than she intended: her baggage, including survival gear, didn’t make it. How did she handle the unintended? In stride. She thrives on challenge and met this one, characteristically, head on. What is she like at work? The same way. Throw barriers her way and she’ll clear them all with style. Give her a mundane job and she’ll have trouble staying awake.
A positive, hard-charging, successful, upwardly mobile executive suddenly found himself on a downward spiral he felt unable to stop. He complained of insomnia, anxiety, night sweats, and an inability to focus.
His company had merged with another, his job title and responsibilities were changed, his clout diminished. He went from doing what he knew best to what he did least well. Always touted as a high potential, standout performer, it was unthinkable that he could fail. But that’s what kept him awake at night. If I can’t do this, if I fail at this, how will I care for my family? What will happen to me? What will happen to all of us?
Over reactions? Not to the person having them.
How important is it to be well matched to what you do? There is no way to overestimate the importance of that relationship.
High achievers, driven to succeed by whatever means necessary rather than by the necessary means, find themselves derailed by a train they never saw coming. Call it the Peter Principle or blindsiding, they won’t get it until they understand it.
What are the necessary means? They include having the self awareness to know the difference between personal strengths and acquired skills and to get them in the right order.
Skills are learned. Strengths are inherent. Strengths precede skills, not the reverse.
Example: Let’s say that your strengths include an ability to see the big picture and to articulate the steps needed to attain it. You motivate others by describing the picture you see, your deeply held commitment to the initiative, and your support of those who would join you in the effort. Develop and align skills in marketing, budgeting, and financial analysis. Get training in team and project management, conflict management, and leadership development. Learn as much as you can about how business is run. Learn from people who do what you don’t want to do; they’ll see the problems you’ll miss, they’ll have the solutions you’ll need.
You get into trouble when you put skills before strengths. Example: You are a successful accountant and are recognized and rewarded for your attention to detail and the bottom line. You’ve been offered a promotion, moving from accounting manager (strength) to director of strategic initiatives (weakness), reporting to the president. You will be expected to hit the ground running.
You’ve always achieved in the past. You figure that you’re a smart guy, a quick teach, so how hard can it be? Too hard if you have to perform outside your strengths, excelling even as you are learning.
You study, you strain, you look cool and don’t risk asking too many questions (how would it look if the new Director of Strategic Initiatives doesn’t understand strategy or how to initiate it? What if he’s better at analyzing what’s already there than dreaming up something that isn’t?)
You try to fake it til you make it. It doesn’t work. You try not to panic. Should you quit your job and leave town? Should you admit you’re over your head and ask for your old job back, the one that’s been filled by Betty who’s supporting three kids and her sick mother?
Like that deer caught in the headlights, you’re focused on the glare instead of the actions you need to take.
Do you know what your strengths are? Not sure? Ask people you trust to tell you. Build on that foundation by learning from others who do it better than you do. Take calculated risks, reach for opportunities that challenge you to do more than you thought possible, and always, always, capitalize on your strengths.
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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:
Joyce Richman (www.joycerichman.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.
