Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Identifying High Potential Employees

I was recently asked what some of the identifying characteristics are for employees who have the potential to lead. Here is a partial checklist:

  • They see the big picture and how each segment supports that picture
  • They are comfortable communicating up and down the org chart and are good at building relationships
  • They are innovative thinkers who expect to find solutions and do
  • They have a knack for putting people together who will collaborate and cross pollinate well
  • They manage their energy well and know how to prioritize
  • They convey ideas easily and build enthusiasm among team members for those ideas
  • They look for the best in people and encourage them to bring their best game
  • They are inclusive, building bridges between people with cultural and philosophical differences
  • They hold themselves and others accountable for results
  • They manage resources well: time, people, $ and space
  • Because they listen well, they engender trust among peers
  • They are willing to ask for help, ideas, feedback
This isn't a complete list, by any means, and yet if an employee exhibits many of these characteristics, they will likely stand out from the crowd and be a good candidate for a leadership role.

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Genius In You

How often do you acknowledge the brilliant, creative ideas you come up with? We all have them, you know. The thing is, when they come from us, we tend to brush them off. “Someone else must have already thought of this by now,” we say to ourselves.

Maybe, maybe not. It’s a good thing George de Mestral was not thinking that way or he would not have been the creator of Velcro. He was out for a walk one day and came back with his socks full of stickers. He examined them closely and learned that the hooks on the ends of the spines made the stickers stick and thought how beneficial that would be if he wanted to fasten something easily. It was a million dollar idea.

We have them all the time, but most of us have not learned to appreciate our own genius. We have been conditioned to believe that genius is rare, that it is reserved for the privileged few. Because George de Mestral acted on the idea, it was made a tangible reality. The concept was golden whether or not he was the one who brought it about. How many times have you had ideas that later were manifested by someone else? Rather than kicking ourselves when this happens, we would benefit more by seeing it as tangible evidence that we have brilliant, viable solutions and ideas.

I recently attended a mastermind session where eight strangers generated dozens of ideas for solving each others challenges. Was there anything special about this group? They seemed like ordinary business owners. It happens every time people come together to help each other. We each have access to brilliant thinking that we can call upon to come up with solutions to any challenge. And although it is fun to do it with a group, we do not require a group for this aspect of ourselves to emerge.

If you would like to further develop this capability in yourself, here are two things you can do:

  1. Begin to notice and acknowledge to yourself all the great ideas you generate. Every time you brainstorm with others, you are producing ideas. Acknowledge the wealth of ideas coming from you and those you interact with. Mentally give yourself credit when someone else runs with an idea you had long ago.Use this skill more frequently and consciously. Like any other thing you do, the more you do it the easier it gets.
  2. At least once a week, think about the challenges you are handling in your life and business. Choose one to focus upon and generate a list of possible solutions. Do this exercise when you are relaxed, in a good frame of mind, and will not be disturbed for at least 20 minutes. Trust the solutions to come, set a timer, and, without censoring, write down every possibility that comes to you. You can refine and test this list of options later. For now, get in the habit of expecting to generate ideas and then seeing those ideas flow easily onto the page.

    Most of us are far more capable than we realize. We are designed to be creative and when we acknowledge the brilliant, creative aspect of ourselves, all sorts of magic begins to happen. Then ideas bubble up like a natural spring. Why not make it a point to spend a little time each day with someone who could really rock your world in a positive way—spend a little time with the genius in you.

    (first published on my Biznik profile in 2011)