More Than Potential

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"She's filled with potential!"

"There's no limit to his potential!"

"They're nothing but unlimited potential!"

It's both promising and frightening to be described as someone who is filled with potential. It means that a) the potential is still unfulfilled, and b) may NEVER be fulfilled.

Still, aren't we ALL filled with potential. No matter what we have accomplished or failed to accomplish there is more ahead of us to be done.

Potential might get you started. It might open a door or two.

Potential will take you only as far as your discipline drives you onward.

Whatever you're capable of still requires your action.

What are you working on that is potentially awesome?

-- doug smith

Comments

Courage Against Corruption

Even when it looks like corruption is everywhere, we do not have to let it rule. Leaders need the courage to resist corruption -- no matter how small and no matter how large and no matter for how long. When in doubt tell the truth, play fair, and act with integrity. Anything else will always catch up to you. -- doug smith

The Need to Act

Some of us like to analyze. Some of us like to act and let someone else analyze. Solving problems takes a balance. The most brilliant analysis producing the most wonderful ideas is all useless until someone acts. Some problems encourage eternal analysis, but that does not mean that eternal analysis is best. Some analysis is best accomplished with action. Think carefully, of course. Act boldly, also of course. -- doug smith

A Better Future

It's too late to perfect the past but it's not too late to learn a better future. Where is your next lesson taking you? What future are you working to create? -- doug smith

Nobody's Perfect

If you've ever had a boss who treated you like you should be perfect, you know how uncomfortable and how unachievable that expectation is. As leaders, we need not ever expect perfection. What we are reasonable in expecting is constant improvement. Even with constant improvement as an expectation, we should also realize that it is natural for people to plateau, for that level up to level off. It's like breathing. We can only inhale so much without exhaling. Expecting perfection guarantees disappointment. Expecting non-stop improvement invites burn-out. Let's be reasonably demanding leaders with the accent on reasonable. I'll try. How about you? -- doug smith

Find the Promise

Every problem contains a promise. That promise is a solution that leads to improvement, that leads to satisfaction, that leads to success. It's not guaranteed, of course, but the promise is there. Why hide from it? The promise of a problem sparks the seeds of success. Find the promise, it will pull you toward the solution. -- doug smith

Fearless Truth

It takes courage to tell the truth because it's not always popular and it's often risky. Knowing that the truth could get you into trouble will steer some people into lies, which once told tend to perpetuate to the point where the teller doesn't even remember that it's not true. That's not for you. That's not for high performance, centered leaders. While it does take guts to tell the truth, it also takes curiosity, diligence, and interrogation to discover the truth. If it's easy to tell lies, it's even easier to believe them. Asking is more powerful than telling because it helps to uncover the truth, to discover the truth. Our courage increases when we rely on truth. To rely on truth requires identifying it fearlessly. What do you think? -- doug smith

When To Dance?

Have you ever danced to a tune you didn't like? Maybe it was at a wedding, or a holiday gathering, or a nightclub, or some other place. Dancing was around you and so you danced. Dancing is usually a choice. Unless it is against your belief system (as a child I remember people in my family who thought that dancing was a sin) dancing is on the whole more beneficial than difficult. I used to believe that I was a good dancer -- until my partner broke up with me and I discovered that SHE was the good dancer, so good that she makes anyone she dances with look like a better dancer (even me). And yet, still I dance. I remember the celebration dinner for a project that I worked on when the president of the company joined the rest of us on the dance floor to do a fun line dance. I'll admit, he danced better than me. For one of the programs that I teach I offer the participants the opportunity to dance in a brief virtual dance party. Some people do (and seem to enjoy it) and some people

Wisdom Knows No Age

It's not years that make you smart, even though time can help. It's not age that develops wisdom, although heaven knows as we get older we should gain some wisdom. If you've never heard a profound piece of wisdom expressed by a child, then I suggest more conversations with children. They are often astounding in their wisdom, unfiltered as it may be by cultural expectations. Wisdom knows no age. Wisdom knows no limits. What have you learned today? -- doug smith

Make It Fun

When you need service, do you really want it to feel like a chore to the person providing that service? Do you flinch just a little after a "thank you" when the other person says "no problem"? I'm glad it wasn't a bother. I do wish it had a little heart in it. Maybe even a little fun. The best jobs at their peak appear to be fun for those observing. "How interesting!" "How magnificent!" "How effortless!" and yes, "How fun!." The best service feels more like play. Instead of the all-too-common "no problem" what if we said a heart-filled, fun-boosted "my pleasure!" And, don't lie about it, make it fun. -- doug smith

Proof of Life

Change is not a burden. Change is proof of life. -- doug smith

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