Everyone has gifts and talents. Some are evident from “day one” and others reveal themselves over time. Some occur naturally and others require learning and repetition to come to fruition. It’s fun to watch someone do something they’re really good at with flawless execution, talent, confidence and capability.
In my experience, who does what, matters. There are things I enjoy doing that I’m good at. There are things I enjoy doing that I’m not good at. The key for me is knowing when I should do something and when I should have someone else do something. When the answer is having someone else do something then I need to make sure it’s the right someone else.
I’m not a medical doctor and never will be. Sometimes I self-diagnose my own aches and pains but that will never lead to true medical capability. Plus, I don’t have the stomach for it. I’m not a teacher and don’t plan to be one. I like being a guest speaker in classrooms, but I don’t have the patience, discipline or talent to be a teacher. Generally speaking, I admire and appreciate those who have the ability and desire to be doctors or teachers because those are two (of many) professions where it’s pretty clear that “who does what” matters. There is a big difference in the impact and capability of good doctors versus not-so-good doctors and the same is true of good teachers versus not-so-good teachers.
In every organization there are varying levels of ability and capability. The best workplaces, and possibly the most successful, are those that have people in the right roles while also balancing the needs and desires of individuals to expand their horizons and develop new capabilities.
I’m constantly trying to grow personally and professionally and create new opportunities. Successes are sometimes few and far between, but the journey is critical. I find it rare that someone can be high-performing without going through a learning / practicing / experiential process to build capability. We need to be developing new (and enhancing existing) capabilities constantly because the marketplace is dynamic, as-is the competition.
At times the easiest place to “see” this is in sports. Watching talented athletes perform at their best is fun. In the context of my daughters’ soccer teams, there is a big difference when the coach puts the players in the optimal positions versus just randomly assigning positions. Players have strengths and weaknesses and if the goal is to achieve the best result for the team, the coach puts players in the positions where they work best with other players on the field.
For me, as a business person, observing and learning from other business people and their accomplishments is a powerful motivator. Typically that also includes understanding the struggles that occurred prior to success, which is just as important.
The world is comprised of an amazing pool of talent and it’s possible to find people who can do almost anything. I’m happy to be a small part of it.
Special thanks to Dr. Ivan Joseph, an inspiring leader who knows how to put teams together and lead them to success, and to Mark Davis, whose capability, competence and vision are perfect for the business he leads.