In my last Bull-e-tin I asked…
“If you could have 30 minutes of my time, what is the most important business issue you would like help solving?”
The following is one of many replies I received.
“How do you turn on the switch in people that lets them discover their passion and achieve their true potential?”
This is a question I’m often asked because one of the biggest concerns facing employers today is people working and achieving below their potential. The key is to find out what truly motivates them. Here’s a tactic that’s worth sharing.
During my Toombul Music years I enjoyed a daily routine of one on one coffee shop meetings with my people. Each day I would take a different staff member for coffee, out of the shop, to discuss their progress, find out what motivates them, what they expect from the job, and to discuss personal development issues to assist their performance.
I discovered this was not only a highly effective way to train people, but also to encourage interaction so I could best develop their individual potential and talent. However you need to create the right environment for these reviews and I always found everyone enjoys a caffine fix at 9am! Sure it’s time consuming, but it’s worth it when you consider our people are not only our biggest cost, but also our most valuable asset.
We need to find out what drives them and provide encouragement and incentive to achieve this goal. Surprisingly, it’s not always money. What’s in this for them if they give you the same commitment that you give to your business? What incentive is there to give years of service? Yes there’s security and money –but what else down the track? If you start thinking how they think, you will learn how to improve their performance by providing opportunity to achieve their ambitions. But remember, everyone is different, hence the importance of one on one discussion.
So contrary to what you may think, the answer to the problem is with the employer–not the employee. We need to be smarter in matching our employee’s needs with ours. It’s worth reminding that your passion is not necessarily theirs, but if you search for their real talent, they will find their passion.
It concerns me that traditional education methods fail to identify hidden talent in youth. That’s because we are taught at an early age the basic essentials of mathematics, science, language etc and the education system is generally very focused on certain type of ability. But true talent can go unnoticed and this marginalises many talented people.
Every opportunity I get, I encourage young people to choose a career doing something that they really like. Everyone is born with different talents and abilities but some never get the chance to discover what it is they really want to do. Consequently, many people go through their lives doing work they don’t necessarily like and can’t wait for the weekends. Conversely, many successful and famous people have got to where they are by following their passion and talent.
Paul McCartney and George Harrison attended the same school in Liverpool in the 50’s. They went through the whole of their education and nobody spotted their musical talent. Their teachers had half the Beatles in their class and they missed it. It isn’t that people are born celebrities. They achieve success because of pursuing a talent for things they love doing. Talent and passion is a winning combination.
So how do you turn on the switch in people that lets them discover their passion and achieve their true potential in your business? Let me know what you have done or if you have another important business issue you would like help solving drop me a line at barry@barrybull.com and I will personally respond with my thoughts.
It’s no secret that my passion is music and here’s a special Xmas gift suggestion.
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| In the first two years of release, my Music for Cruizin’ compilation CD’s has grown to a catalogue of eight double albums. Each contains 44 terrific touring tunes from the classic ‘pop’ music catalogues of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, purposely compiled for the traveling boomers. |
Great Xmas Gift at Just $25 for each Double CD set. |
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Buy ALL eight albums ONLY PAY FOR SEVEN. |
Click here to see track listings and to order
Very best wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling Christmas season and health and happiness in 2011.