On my weekly stroll through the Facebook posts, an article was shared, “5 Basic Skills We’re Forgetting to Teach Our Children” (www.babble.com). As I reflected on these: Grit, Adaptability, Curiosity, Self-awareness, Meaning – I was reminded that as professionals, these are skills that will help us have a positive impact in the workplace as well.
1-GRIT: The stick-to-it factor, perseverance, determination, passion. “The author explains that after years of studying people in all sorts of settings, at all ages, grit was the one clear characteristic for success – more than IQ, social intelligence, attractiveness, physician health, or even talent.”
2-ADAPTABILITY: Have you heard to story of the oak and the willow? When asked, which would be stronger during a storm? I naturally thought the oak tree would be stronger because it has a wider girth, bigger roots, more height….not so. The willow bends and sways during a storm, yields to the wind and is more flexible, which actually makes it stronger – the oak tree can snap during high winds and rain.
3-CURIOSITY: If leaders and managers aren’t asking their employees what they can improve on for the future, they are missing a golden opportunity. The co-founder of a U.S. micro-brewery, (FAT TIRE is one of their most popular brands) hosts a retreat once per year for the 500 employee organization. The focus is to listen to the employee’s ideas to identify strategies to improve the company for the future.
4-SELF-AWARENESS: In the book, Now Discover Your Strengths, the authors provide a self-assessment in chapter four – you access a code on an on-line portal and 15 or so minutes after a series of questions, a report is generated that identifies your TOP five strengths. The goal is to maximize these strengths on a daily basis, avoid trying to be good at too many things and capitalize on strengths of others.
5-MEANING: The article states, “Happiness is about feeling good, meaning is about feeling purpose.” Happiness is temporary, Meaning is permanent. People have referred to me as “Ms. Happy” and although, that makes me smile, I realize happiness is a choice. The true meaning behind “Ms. Happy” is that no matter what life throws at you, your reaction to it is your choice, your attitude is your choice.
Where do you need to show more grit, adaptability, curiosity, self-awareness and meaning in business, life and relationships? Is it time to schedule a team retreat? Contact Merikay to explore today!
